ENTOMOLOGY

DISEASES BORNE BY NON-BITING FLIESthem out whole in the feces, but in all his experiments with the larvae hefound that the eggs were crushed.In addition fo the ability of flies to carry disease germs in theirbody, there are multitudes of proofs of thcir ability to carry them alsoon their body and to deposit them when they feed.The transmission· of disease by nO'Tlrbloodsucking flies is exclusivelyby contamintation either of food, water or wownds. Most of the flieswhich frequent houses and food or visit man because of attractive secretionsor~' juries also are attracted to and breed in excreta or garbage.Hence t contamination of food by direct transportation from infected-excreta i - ~ery simple matter.This ,ntamination may be by the simple depositing of diseasegerms carried on the body of the flies, or by regurgitation, or thedeposition of feces. Wherever a fly alights and remains a few minutesit deposits either vomit or feces. By the nature of its breeding it ishardly to be expected that these deposits will not contain some kind ofbacteria, and possibly protozoa or worm eggs. If these deposits aremade on the moist media offered by foods the germs may easily retaintheir virulence until eaten.As flies can travel considerable distances, at least thirteen miles,the existence of a single disease case with insanitary conditions in thevicimity enabling fly breedmg, might easily infect an entire city or armycamp if the flies were permitted to reach the food of the inhabitants. Itis because of the total lack of sfl!1litary waste disposal in country districtsthat diseases like typhoid fever and dysentery usually become verywidespread. TVe can not know the source of the flies which enter our1107l,ses. We must not let them visit our food. They must be kept awayfrom the eyes and mouths of babies. Our markets where meats andvegetables are sold must be better protected. Only through influencingpublic opinion will we be able to have the fly nuisance in our own publicmarkets abated. Food offered for sale should be kept under glass orscreen at all times.There are so many organisms transmitted by the non-blood-suckingflies that we shall have to -deal with them rather briefly and preferablyaccording to their classific~tion. A thorough digest of the mass ofmatter submitted below should impress the readers with the necessityof fly prevention.PLANT ORGANISMS CARRIED BY NON-BITING FLIESTllAUophyta: Fungi: Schizomycetes: CoccaceaeStreptococcus equinus Andrewes and Horder, a non-pathogenic organismfound in horse dung, was found by Torrey (191!) in a number ofcases on the surface of city caught flies.lO,,{