Flies carry many different kinds of germs, such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and even the eggs of intestinal worms and parasites. They may also carry the virus of polio and other serious disease. Wherever they alight they leave behind them deposits of filth and germs. They contaminate dishes, eating utensils, kitchen, restaurants, food marketing, and storehouses. Many young babies are ill because their food has been contaminated in this way. The wise mother will see to it that her child is protected from flies.

Some years ago a group of research workers wanted to find out how many germs an ordinary household fly might carry. They were also interested to know what happens when a fly crawls over food. So they caught eight flies. Each was found too be carrying no less than 750,000,000 germs! The scientists then allowed these flies to crawl over certain types of food. Fifteen minutes later they found over 9,000 germs on that food. Half an hour later there were more than half a million germ! Five hours later there were three and a half million germs! Need we wonder that so many people are sick when the foods they eat are so easily contaminated by flies?