MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OR.
6 t : - ;
Pestiferous Face
Fly Found West
Of Mississippi
Washington - (Science Serv
ice) - Face flies, the enemy
agents that invaded New York
from Nova Scotia in 1953,
have . succeeded in pushing
their psychological warfare
campaign across the Mississip
pi river into the central states.
Although not known to be
carriers of a fatal disease,
these pests can worry a horse
or cow to a frazzle by lapping
up fluids around the eyes and
nose and around open
wounds. There are reports
that horses are particularly
hard to handle after irritating
attacks from face flies, and
that cows refuse to feed prop
erly and their milk production
drops.
The face fly stayed in the
New York state area until
1957-1958. Now, in three
years, it has spread to every
state east of the Mississippi
river as far south as Ten
nessee and West Virginia, and
It is making a beellne for the
West Coast. Minnesota, Iowa,
Missouri and Nebraska have
reported the pest. But western
Pennsylvania is the hardest
hit area at present.
Not Too Much Known
Entomologist W. G. Bruce
of the U.S. Department of Ag
riculture admits that not too
much is known about the fly.
There is no known effective
control, but a mixture of
syrup, water and DDVP is
doing some good. DDVP is
dichloro - diphenyl - vinyl
phosphate. This fly does not attack In
the shade, inside barns and
other buildings. It usually
stays out in the bright sun
light except in the fall when
the temperature drops.
Some Canadian investiga
tors believe this pest is as
sociated with outbreaks of
pink eye (infectious keratltl:),
but this has not been proved.
One reason the face fly has
such a head start is that it
looks much like the common
house. fly. Farmers ignore It
at first.' There are differences,
however, in the head anatomy
and in the veins of the wings.
There is also a dl'ference In
the mouth parts, since the
lace fly does not ' bite, but
rather laps up fluids.
New Antibiotic
Said Effective
Against Staph
London - (Science Service)
-.A newly discovered antibi
otic, demethylchlorte t r a c y
cline (DMCT), shown to be
nearly twice as effective
against staphyloccal infection
as the older antibiotic tetracy
cline (TO, is reported In a
study of its merits In the cur
rent Issue of the British Medl
. cal Journal.
The report on this antibi
otic, by a Boston and London
medical team, states the new
antibiotic may be "entirely
new or prove to be related in
structure and action to anoth
er already known." Research
has been in progress since
DMCT was first reported
three years ago by Dr. J. R.
D. McCormick and his as
sociates at the Loderle Labo
ratories,, Pearl River, N.Y.
Drs. Maxwell Finland of
Harvard Medical School and
L. P. Garrod of the Univer
sity of London, aided in part
hv a National Institutes of
Health grant, report observa
tions alter studying voluml
nous works of researchers
published and unpublished.
M.riti Undaeidtd
Although the final merits
of this new antibiotic have
not been decided, the invest!-
gators-vpoint out the follow
ina adVunlnecs:
1. DCMT has hiiih stability.
1 lie actlvilv against most
bacteria exceeds that of TC
by approximately two fold,
(Only two daily doses are re
quired, which Is an Important
advantage for patients requir
ing sleep.)
3. Urine elimination is less
than half that of TC, allowing
(inline concentrations of
DMCT to remain in the blood
for a much longer time alter
dose.
Device Cuts Haze
But Faih in Fog
Wschlnntnn -(Science Scrv
ice)- Ships' pilots can cut
through jrooke and naze wnn
- tnffornl llffht Rvstpm del
cribed to an International con
ference on navigational aids
l.u hu .Tnnnnpjip researchers.
They said the Infrared rays
in a system called Noctovision
nnnotrnta ahoilt 2.000
yards. A man with equipment
to convert .tne invisioie raya
inld Vvisible Image could
easily 'detect buoys ana od
But'Noctovlsion i not much
good in fog or rain, the re
searchers admitted. Th con
ference is sponsored bf tht
O
o
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