Further preliminary reports on flies as carriers of infection.

Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Further preliminary reports on flies as carriers of infection. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    4/46 (page 2)
    As “ centres ” it is desirable to select places where large quantities of house refuse and other fermentable material, or stable manure, is deposited or allowed to accumulate, such as municipal depots and job-masters’ premises, or places where offensive trade processes are carried on. In the event of large numbers of cows being kept in confinement, a cow-shed might also be chosen as a “ centre.” At varying distances, preferably about 50, 100 and 150 yards respectively, from each “centre ” fly “ stations ” must be established. These should be at least half a dozen in number around each “ centre,” and, where possible, located especially at points of the compass which and to wdiich the prevailing wdnd blows. As Dr. Hamer has pointed out in connection with investigations that have been conducted in London during the past two years, all operations should be carried out with as much uniformity as possible, for which reason endeavour should be made to secure, as places of observation, kitchens or living-rooms occupied by poor people. It is desirable, moreover, that the rooms in which fly-traps of one or another kind* are to be placed should be on the ground floor, fairly lighted, and preferably with a sunny aspect. Houses should be selected which are neither specially clean nor specially dirty. They should not have been “ done up ” within the previous six months. It will, of course, be necessary to avoid selecting houses in the neighbourhood of which there may be local accumu- lations of house-refuse or stable manure, or which are in the vicinity of shops where articles of food are sold or premises where refuse material of any kind capable of undergoing decomposition is stored. In general it will probably be advisable to leave the actual selection of premises to the Sanitary Inspectors, to whom also (their other duties permitting) may be entrusted the placing and removal of fly-traps and the enumeration of the captured flies. Fly-traps. Both fly-papers, and traps of fine wire gauze, of rounded shape, generally known as “ balloons,” should be used side by side, whenever possible. The larger flies, such as blue-bottles, are often capable of escaping from fly-papers on which they may have settled. For these flies, however, the “ balloons,” when properly baited, appear to possess a special attraction, the more so after capture of the first few specimens, who, by their buzzing, evidently attract their fellows. The fly-paper recommended (it being desirable for the sake of uniformity that the same makes should be used in all cases), which is known as “ The Fly Cemetery,” is coated with a specially tenacious “ honey-gum.” The paper, after being unfolded, should be hung vertically from the ceiling of the room or from a gas- bracket in some situation which, while not dark, is not directly exposed to sunlight. As a precautionary measure, in hot weather, the lower edge of the paper should be folded up on the sticky side. See below.