flocculent precipitate which would impede the passage of fine particles of refuse. Solids and fats arrested are removed and burned on the fire; liquid is usually absorbed by the soil but may be removed by an odorless excavator. From time to time, the sand must be renewed especially if alum 63 FIELD HYGIENE AND SANITATION be used. Liquids collected in cans or covered pits near kitchens may be removed by an odorless excavator to a communal pit several hundred yards from camp. In this septic action occurs. Such a pit may be used for several weeks depending on its size and the porosity of the soil. Flies do not breed in it until the margins are saturated. The pit is then filled with water to drown the larva and it is later filled in. Such a pit may be divided into compartments like a grease trap.
<Callout type="tip" title="Grease Trap Design">A grease trap used in the English service is made by dividing a box into two compartments by a vertical partition which does not quite reach to the floor. It leaves an interval about an inch high. The box is filled with sand to a depth of two or three inches.</Callout>
Waste water will be freed from fat, as it passes through the sand and under the partition, up into the second compartment so that it can be absorbed by the soil. It escapes from the box through a notch in its side or a pipe and goes off through a ditch. It may first be passed through settling tanks before it enters the ditch.
Another device is to employ a half barrel as a separating tank. Grease rises and is skimmed away, the fluids are syphoned off. Precipitation of small particles of solids other than fats can be accelerated by alum five grains to the gallon. Another type of grease trap is the following: A pit is dug 3 foot cube, with a surface trench leading into it 5 feet long and 9 inches wide and deep. At the end farthest from the pit is a tin containing hay, with an outlet in the bottom, leading into the pit. Inside this tin is another containing hay, tea leaves, sawdust. The trench is lined with tin and filled with brick or coke in the size of walnuts. Both pit and trench are covered. Grease is arrested so that clear water flows into the pit. The brick or coke is removed and burned free of grease every other day and replaced. Hay, etc., are burned and replaced.
<Callout type="warning" title="Fly Breeding Places">Prevalence of flies should be prevented by destroying their breeding places. Their abundance is inversely proportionate to the efficiency of camp police.</Callout>
For the destruction of flies, traps, fly paper and swatters are employed. If these insects are numerous, it is the practice in some commands to exercise the entire organization for half an hour daily with fly swatters. Fly paper may be made by heating together five parts of castor Oil and eight parts of resin by weight until it is stringy when cool, and painting on glazed paper. The mixture should not be brought to the boiling point. The fly paper is hung to advantage from the ridges of cook tents, or the mixture may be painted on wires which are hung into latrines or stretched across mess tents.
Fly traps are usually made of wire net, are about two feet six inches long, one foot wide and sixteen inches high. There is provided a re-entrant prism also made of net which should be nailed at its base to the sidebars of the frame so that it covers the trap's entire area, less the thickness of the wood strips. This prism should be about eight inches high and its sides should slope to give an angle between 70 and 80 degrees at the ridge. Apertures not more than one inch in diameter should be made by forcing the threads of the wire apart and not by cutting it. They should be about two inches apart.
When no wood is available for frames the traps are made generally cylindrical shape, closed up the side and along the top by the tropics and that a cup of oil placed as shown will prevent insects from reaching the bait which should be placed beneath the triangular screened space B in the bottom of the trap. Traps may also be made of kegs, boxes, tin cans etc., by removing tops and bottoms and leaving short project to act as legs. The top is covered with net and the both provided with a re-entrant cone, prism, or pyramid of wire. The English employ in Egypt much larger fly traps some of which are 6 feet square and 8 feet high. These all employ a platform which extends beyond the trap so that it may support small sloping shelves which afford a lighting place for the insects. These enter through a narrow slit provided between the walls of the cage and the alighting boards. Traps should be baited at regular intervals.
<Callout type="important" title="Fly Baiting">Excellent baits are beer, a mixture of cheap molasses and water, brown sugar one part and water four parts, banana and milk, a paste made of peas or a mixture of brown sugar, cheese and water that has been standing for a few days, etc. Truby had excellent results in the El Paso District with a bait made of potato water, bran, yeast and brown sugar. It fermented in about 24 hours and remained serviceable indefinitely, so long as it was kept moist.</Callout>
Poisoned fly baits may be used. Such are a solution of formalin in milk, sugar and water, or in water only, 4 ounces to the quart, or a solution made by dissolving one pound of sodium arsenite in boiling water and adding to this a ten per cent, solution of brown sugar in 10 gallons of water. Poisoned baits should be placed in shallow dishes containing crusts of bread which will afford lighting places for the insects, and kept moist with the solution.
Cockroaches around a kitchen may be destroyed by dusting the floor with sodium fluoride, either pure or diluted one half with flour or gypsum. Other useful powders are borax, either pure or mixed with pulverized chocolate in the proportion of one to three, and pyrethrum. A sweetened flour paste containing two per cent, of phosphorous to 98 of glucose and flour is used.
Prrethrum, if of good quality is an excellent agent in closed rooms or tents, against flies, cockroaches, fleas and other insects.
Elitchen Service. — Foods should be prepared and served in a cleanly manner. Cooks should be clean and neat in appearance and at all times their equipments and kitchens should be clean. Men suffering from venereal or gastro-intestinal disease should be relieved from duty in the kitchen. Troops should be instructed to clean their mess utensils carefully after each meal and for that purpose a supply of soapy water and another of clean water should be kept boiling at meal times. Men should clean their utensils in the former and rinse them in the latter. Unless the water is kept boiling, it will be chilled by the first utensil used and be of little use to those who come later. The keeping of uneaten portions of food in tents employed as habitations should be prohibited.
Ptomaine poisoning may be caused by left over cooked meat kept too long or left uncovered, fish in which decomposition has begun, hash made of potatoes and meat not put in the ice box or put into a rapidly cooling oven for protection, and soiled utensils, particularly the meat grinder, on which a certain amount of food may remain after use to decompose and infect the next meat on which it is used. If the meat used in camp comes from a slaughter house under its supervision this should be inspected daily, at least after each period of usage and kept rigorously clean. No carcass should be accepted without the approval of a veterinary surgeon.
Refuse and ordure should be buried. Refuse from the kitchen should be removed regularly at a stated hour daily. As a rule most of this is burned in the fire, but there is always an incombustible residue which should be passed through the fire and removed to the dump. No hucksters should be allowed in camp other than those for general delivery to messes. The bringing of melons into camp should be prohibited. The sale of food stuffs and drinkables by keepers of neighboring booths should be rigorously controlled. Only those persons should be permitted to make sales who have been examined for vermin by a medical officer, vaccinated, received typhoid prophylactic and who keep themselves and their premises clean. Such persons should be re-examined twice monthly and their establishments inspected daily. With a few carefully supervised exceptions they should be permitted to sell only foods and drinks in original packages or cakes, if the latter are protected by insect proof receptacles. The sale of pie should be prohibited.
Concessionaires should be required to care for their latrines properly and to make proper disposal of their refuse.
Key Takeaways
- Use grease traps to manage kitchen waste and prevent fly breeding.
- Employ fly paper, traps, and baits for effective pest control.
- Properly dispose of refuse and ordure to avoid contamination.
Practical Tips
- Regularly clean and inspect kitchen equipment to prevent the buildup of food particles that can attract pests.
- Use natural ingredients like molasses or beer as fly baits, which are both effective and cost-efficient.
- Implement a strict system for handling and storing leftover food to avoid ptomaine poisoning.
Warnings & Risks
- Be cautious when using poisoned fly baits, as they can pose risks if not handled properly.
- Ensure that all kitchen staff are clean and healthy to prevent the spread of disease in camp.
Modern Application
While many of these techniques have evolved with modern technology, the principles of proper sanitation and pest control remain crucial. Understanding how to manage waste and protect food from contamination can still be vital for survival situations or emergency preparedness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How should grease traps be constructed according to this chapter?
Grease traps are made by dividing a box into two compartments with a vertical partition that does not reach the floor, leaving an inch-high interval. The box is filled with sand and waste water passes through it, separating fat from clear water which can then be absorbed by the soil.
Q: What materials can be used to make fly traps?
Fly traps can be made of wire netting or kegs with tops and bottoms removed. They should have a re-entrant prism nailed at their base, and can be baited with various substances like beer, molasses, or banana milk.
Q: What are the key steps in managing kitchen refuse according to this chapter?
Kitchen refuse should be removed regularly, burned where possible, and any incombustible residue passed through a fire before being disposed of. Proper disposal is crucial to prevent contamination and attract pests.