The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-11-21
VENOMOUS REPTILES AND IN
SECTS OF TEXAS.
A Paper Read Before the Medical
Association. by DR.. r. Men
ger. OF San Antonio.


recovered. suffered the most intense
fortunes from the bite of the tarantula.
Allan Dr. g. Il. King reported n case in
which fearful Inflammation and gan
creme of the parts bitten followed.
There Is n small, black spider oc-
casionally met with in obscure locali-
ties. in old cellars, and especially in
priyy vaults. which is very poisonous
and from which persons are ofiener
bitten than by the tarantula. There are
two different species; both are of black
color, but the one has red and the
other white spot in the middle part of
the hind body, with white, narrow rings
ooross ,bo ohdo,o, mi s,idar 10 iass
W.
'han one men long anu IT'S head Is sup
piled with very sharp, black and curved
fnnps The bite causes the most excru-
o,a,ino na;ns oo,n,nanoino, fro,,, ,,o nor,
."s P"''s' w
o'''en lhearly Always tne g'u'e"' reg'on)
ascending to the abdomen. | have
found bvnodermic inieotions of mornbia
,,,,,,. - 80 t,,a.naiI,, ra
WIN oio'niue Vi ",no"'" i''e'""''!' i'
liable remedy in these cases.
Our friend. DR.. Favre, not long ago
,r.o,od n cose of snidarbif. which d.-
-, ,l,,.',- ..,,..',..,
'elopeu sou'e aiar'h'hg symptoms N
crippled Frenchman, whose arm had
been amputated some wears ago, was
h,,,a, ON tho stnn,n hy , small blact
''''" WI '"o
SPIDER. soon aIter the pl'e' seVeral
vesicels developed along the arm, and
inflammation with severe erysipelas,
I,,,,,,,,,o,,.,,t. ga rhio,,on, 60, In
g"pn"ns"'s "nu Pnies,uo"o SCI III,
lie was treated locally win lodlne ana
carbolic acid lotions, and after lancing
the phlepmone on different parts. he
,,i,-,,.e ...,
| Biuu""liy ie'0'oiou'
The Texas scorpion, numerously us
tributed throughout the State, ranks
next to the centipede and some species
of spiders and wasps in regard to
vituperacy. The end part OF its tail is
supplied with u very sharp and curved
sting which communicates directly with
the poison gland. The sting of the yell
lowish-bIown and common scorpion
causes n very severe and deafening pain
along the extremity bitten. The black
scorpion, a very rare specimen in the
interior of Texas, and mostly found in
Mexico and Africa causes not alone
cramps and commissions, but also gan
creme and general lymphangitis, and
even death. In the frontier towns of
Texas, in Laredo, Del Rio and Eagle
Pass, and especially in Mexico. another
peculiar species of black scorpion oc-
ours, known under the term: vinega-
room, (thelyphonus caudatus). OF dark
red, brown color. This scorpion is sup
piled with pair Of fearful large and
thick fangs and large, two and a half
inch long pricke at the end part OF the
body. II is said to be very poisonous,
In some instances producing death.
The sting of the bees, hornet, yellow
jack, and wasps, is well known. Tu-
some species, the weapons OF attack,
consisting of short sting, which Is
sharper pointed than the point OF a
needle, is burrowed in the abdomen.
The bite of the common hiding-wasp Is
not as severe as that of the robbing and
flower wasps, as these are supplied with
n pair Of sharp daggers, which they
plunge deeply into the flesh and cause a
most circulating pain, swelling ana
Inflammation. Persons attacked by
large swarms of bees or wasps have
to suffer the most fearful torture, and
several instances OF death are'o record
Professor BardeleDen, IN his surgical
works, relates TO person who had
eaten an apple In which wasp was
hidden. Hardly had he eaten part o.
the apple when he felt a severe Swinging
pain In the throat which soon swelled
= TO such extent, causing ~dema glot
tides, that the man sui1ocated ana dled
A great many wasp species have the
sting in connection with the mouth
parts and they evacuate during eaci
bite similar to other poisonous Insects d
drop of formic acid, the same poison
GUS substance contained In the poison
gland of the ant.
In Gross System of Surgery the fol
lowing is contained on wounds inflicted
by poisonous insects, especially bee
and wasps: "The poison OF these in
sects Is contained in small yesicle II
r the abdomen, and isunder the control o
peculiar muscular apparatus by which
1t is injected into the puncture made b,
!, the barbed sting OF these little creatures
Instances have occurred In various part
y OF the couitry OF persons having beel
stung TO death by single honey bee
One such case occurred many years age
in Kentucky, in man upwards OF .
} years of age. He was wounded In tn
face, and died in n few hours. Violen
effects sometimes proceed from tn
sting of a bee, wasp or yellow jacket
the fauces 9sophagus, or stomach, whe
these insects are accidentally swallowe
in cider and other drinks"
Our large red ant is also known to b
poisonous. Persons, especially children
J, bitten by them have TO suffer very st
we're pain. Some years ago | treated
man who was bitten by an ant In tn
D praeputium, which soon swelled and II
Ie famed considerably, and caused cramI