Insects and flies were known transmitters of germs and perferred filth to clean areas. The fly's ability to travel great distances, feast on garbage, and then inflitrate the home made this creature Public Health Enemy Number 1. The grotesque features of the fly in a large model such as this, could have instilled a fear of allowing these creatures anywhere near one's home.

Combating the spread of communicable diseases was one of the main tenets of the Public Health Service in almost every major city. Whether it be lectures on the correct way to wash infants and children, leading the charge in legislation of anti-spitting laws to fend off the spread of tuberculosis, public health officials continually promoted clean living.

 

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