Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 143
by Shumaker who recommended beta nap- questioned by any one today, and it is not
thol in much larger doses, which not only necessarj' to spend any more time on this
serves as an antiseplic to the ulcerated aspect of the subject. The more important
bowels, but seems to destroy typhoid bacilli, problem confronting us is how to restrict
it being much sirouger and should have a^^ suppress this noxious insect. In order
the same effect on the intestinal ulcer as tliat the house-fly may be controlled we
carbolic acid for external use, and there is must know where it breeds. This little pest
no better time to attack these little enemies is bred and born in the post heaps and
than when we have them bottled, as it were, nourished from the stables and closets until
The second attack should be made imme- it becomes wise enough to go to all accessidiately
after the evacuation by free use of ble tables three times a day for dessert. He
chloride of lime and other strong disinfect- crawls over the different articles of food
ants. Immediately after the application of with his infected feet planting his long verthe
disinfectant the stool should be removed bossis in the most delicate dish, only to
to some back lot where the last and fatal eject its filthy contents and refill with someattack
should be made by providing a tub thing better.
that will hold about three bushels, place it I" a comparative statement science has
with the bottom about ten inches in the shown more deadly germs contained in the
ground, partly filled with excelsior or straw trunk of a single house-fly than the trunk
and a carefully fitted plank over the top. o^ an elephant and the former should be
This is the point where the most is accom- regarded as the more dangerous of the two.
plished; first, by preventing the under- The house fly is too timid to go in dark
ground water supply from becoming in- places and can be eliminated from our
fected; second, by preventing the most closets by the small cost of twenty-five
common carrier of all germs, or better cents and a little extra care. The methods
1 known as the house-fly. propose will eliminate the fly from all in-
^^'''^^ substance and make the dangers
It is hardly necessary to cite authorities
^'^^-^
on the capacity of the house-fly which car- "^""."^ less tban the old and almost
, , [ , . .1 universal plan of burying the stool in the
ries bacteria from one place to another. j l- i i. ui r j j
„,. •• 1 1 1 J ground, which should be forever condemned
. . 1
1 his capacity has l)een amply demonstrated f ,, ,. , r • n^u .i v,
, /- • J Ti 1 a 1 . by the medical profession. \\ hen the above
and confirmed. 1 he house-fly is known to "^
. , ^ , • j . j .u
, , • '
1 ,, . J 1
J T. suggestions have been earned out and the
be strongly attracted bv noisome odors. It t" , , .i i ^ „ !,„
'
, I » "j 1 f 1 » patient reaches the convalescent stage the
hovers about and feeds and propagates on ' ,. .. ,
, , . , ,. ,, f
, . T. . r A application of a match to a half gallon of
human excreta. It eats pus, sputum, and ^^, ., , . , j n . v n
., .11-1 J , I f . •. coal oil used in and around the tub will
other pathological products. In fact its
, . ., i j ^ ,„j
, ... iY 1 ; J . f .1 I- complete the work and you can rest assured
habits are well adapted to favor the soiling '
,
, . .. . •
i
i • »
, ,, . . (.11 1 . cii •. that the germs from the typhoid patient
of the exterior of its body, and to fill its in-
" t- t-
.
have not been allowed to infect the water
terior with various species of disease germs
supply of the entire community nor has the
Pathogenic bacteria have been demonstrat-
multitude of flies of the entire town been
ed on Its proboscis, Us feet, and in its di-
^^^^
gestive tract and its excreta, the well known
^^^.^^^^ ^^.^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^ J^^^^
tly .spects.
^j^^^^ gfjy ^gjjjg ^^^ ^jjjjj ^ mjjted effort bv
The kinds of infections it is best adapted
^^^^ gj^t^ ^^^^ county, with the cooperato
transport from place to place are typhoid
^j^,, ^f ^^^ American Health League of
tuberculosis and Asiatic cholera. By seedjj^^gg
^^^ms can we expect the slightest iming
our foods, notably milk, with these provement along this line.
germs which it obtain^- from dejections will _^_^____
cause localized family epidemics.
j^^ Case ol Osteomalacia.''
The bacilli of tuberculosis and typhoid „ , „, „ „ r^ u i n xt n
•
, ,. .. , I •» 1 .1 (1 By J. bteven Brown, M. D., HendersonviUe, N. C.
•*
may be disseminated by it, because the fly •'
will feed on sputum as well, and the bacilli
may pass alive through the digestive tract
Because of the rarity and gravity of the
disease, I feel constrained to report briefly
and appear in the fly specks, and has been
found living in the excreta of flies fed with
a case of osteomalacia, that quite recently
came under my observation. Dock has
sputum and excreta fifteen days after they
had passed. The severe epidemics of tybeen
able to collect reports of but ten cases
in America. Xo doubt others have occurred
phoid in our camps during the Spanish-
American war were attributed by the investigating
commission to flies. There can
without going on record.
The family history is fairly good; four
sisters and three brothers being alive and
beno doubt that the housefly is a potential
danger in proportion to the number of in-
jn good health, while one sister died at
dividuals living in our environments. *Reail before the recent meeting of the State
I believe that this position will hardly be Medical Society at AsheviUe, N. C.