The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-11-19
A SNAKE STORY.
gtOElnGLO
vENoM0US REPTILES AND IN
SECTS OF TEXAS.
A Paper Read Before the Medical
Association. by DR.. r. Men.
ger. OF San Antonio.



tails concerning the classification and
peculiarlties Of each single species.
What interests us most, 10 the anatomical
structure, the singing and succatorial
apparatus and especially the physiologl-
cal action Of the poisonous secreta on the
human system Of the most venomous
animals occurring In this country. 1t
may, at first sight, seem MS If 1t Is not
worth while to investigate the nature Of
these animals, but, ms ! intend to show,
our present knowledge In regard TO these
creatures Is SO far advanced, that 1t is
just as necessary to be acquainted with
them rs with the full understanding Of
the normal and abnormal condition Of
the food we eat, the water we drink and
the air we breathe. II we commence,
for instance, with the lower class and
most common of all insects, with the
flies and mosquitoes, or, with the more
poisonous insects and reptiles, the wasps
and bees, the SCORPIONS, spiders, cent?
pedes and rattlesnnkes, II is surely worth
the time to study the nature of these
animals as far rs their vtuperacy is
concerned.
Our great State OF Texas, through Its
warm, semi-trophical climate, Its i'm
mense area and its luxuriant vegetation,
conceals quite number OF venomous
animals OF all sort. In the cities and in
habitated places. mostly small insects
are met with, while in the prairies,
fields, forests, crevices in the ground,
swampy places and rivers, larger rep
tiles and insects are to be found.
The common house-nies and mos
quitoes are widespread throughout our
country during the warm and rainy sea-
sons. As small as they are, and as in
significant as they seem to be, they
sometimes can do great deal Of harm.
Although the mosquito occurring in our
climate, is not ms poisonous as some
species in the North, In swampy re-
gions, where instances of death are re-
corded from their bite, 1t can do much
harm in other respects. There are In
stances on record where the mos
auitoes and flies transmitted and inoc-
/
oially smallpox, and perhaps mea-
sles, typhoid fever, yellow fever, and
scarletina. Those of us nearer ac-
quainted with heterogeneous know
well enough how readily they can ad-
here to the wings, feet or body Of flies,
or to the proboscis of the mosquito or
other singing insects. In crowded hos
pitfalls, especially where many wounded
are lying, the flies and mosquitoes can
also do great deal Of harm In trans
planting and inoculating bacteriae, lar
vac, pus or morbid products. Instances
have occurred where certain species Of
flies produced fearful Inflammation, tu-
mors and alterations of the skin or mu-
cous membranes of The mouth or nose.
This Is all readily understood, IL we re-
member the anatomical structure of the
mouth parts of the injurious Insects and
the manner In which they attack and
feed on animals afflicted with infectious
diseases and inoculate the morbid pro-
ducts on and into the human system by
means of the blood and Emphatic ves-
sells. If we have occasion to examine a
common mosquito head under the mi
oroscope, the following picture presents
itself: large, slightly curved. very fine
and sharp sting, and long proboscis
with succatorial apparatus, standing in
near connection with the abdominal
viscera. The female deposits up to 800
bottle shaped eggs on stagnant water,
and in few days the larvae, which are
known under the general term as wiggle
tails, are developed. From this 1t caL
be imagined how immensely the devel-
opment OF the mosquito family is, and
1t readily corroborates the history and
anecdotes told by different travellers and
naturalists. In London, In the year
1876, such an immense quantity of mos
Quitos were seen ascending In the air
near Salisbury church, that parties at a
distance held them for smoke clouds
and many thought the church was burn
ing. Similar observations were made
In sagan, In Silesia, in the year 1872. In
Oxford they appeared in the month Of
August, l776 In such incredible quaint.
ties that they resembled a large, dark
cloud, which darkened the sky and
scarcely left the rays Of the sun pene'
trate.
Besides myriads of mosquitoes, flies
feas, weed lice. grasshoppers, filth, trash
and accumulation of all kinds, the weeds
of most of our cities in summer are in
tested with very minute parasite, sc
small that 1t can hardly be seen with the
naked eye. There exist two different
kinds of these parasites, as 1t seems, on
certain species of plants. The one is OF
reddish color, has an oval-shaped, soliC
body, and the end Of each leg is supplied
with q very small, round swelling o.
knob, which Is characteristic of thos'
parasites belonging to the class OF genu
Inc ticks or red bugs. These ticks ar,
we'll known to parties who occasionally
enjoy q trip In the country or make pic
mics. They are therefore termed picni,
ticks, and are very abundant In oak ant
blackberry forests and in bottoms.
: The second class Of these parasites ar,
such as are very common and numerou
to be found In the weeds. This is
regular vegetable mite. Of redish color
shaped and formed like the other. The.
look much like crab when seen unde
magnifying power.
The weed mites and ticks are rea
plague to human beings. They pene
trate with their minute body and shar
. nostrils and curved legs into and ofte
. through the layers and tissues of tn
skin, thereby causing inflammation, itch
ing and even suppuration-just like tn
common scables. From these, althoug
, they widely differ, microscopically, an
are to be found on any part OF the body
whilst the itch Is most common unde
the skin, near the joints and betwee
the fingers and toes. Some time ag
nv attention WAS called to these parf