These widespread practices in the Wild West show how wild the times really were

By YEET MAGAZINE | Updated 1408 GMT (2208 HKT) September 29, 2021

Insects were a perennial problem for the men and women of the Wild West.

Flies buzzed around anything edible, often after frolicking in the open pit toilets. These flying insects therefore carried waste on foodstuffs. This means that the risk of fatal disease was, unsurprisingly, very high. Mosquitoes were also extremely annoying, and the absence of screens on doors and windows gave these pests every chance to invade homes.