This film is part of Free

Swat That Fly!

Warning - not safe for work lunch! This public health film on the common house fly is designed to make you squirm

Documentary 1915 6 mins Silent

Overview

The common house fly becomes a brooding menace in this public health short. Filmed as a document of the insect's life cycle, the intertitles drive home the connection between flies and the spread of disease. Flies feed from a sore on a dog’s back and then crawl on a bottle teat from which a baby will be fed. Hours and miles may have separated the filming, but the two images remain together in your mind - hopefully encouraging better public health.