, 1889-04-06

Chnrcbman. I take the following from a
lecture delivered by my brother DR.. Branch
some 20 years ago in st. Kits. "UnEortu.
nately the fishes which are best fayoursd
are also sometimes poisonous. The list
given by Professor Trail of the University
of Edinburgh of those which have proved
deleteriOus in the West Indies includes
seventeen species, among which are some.
such as the King Fish (Thynnus Corettal
u Green Cravalli (Caranx Bartholomew
winch are considered by people in st.
hlttS to he always quite harmless. Sir
Robert SchOmburgk mentions q case of moi.
sonlng with Green Cravalle which occurred
III Barbados. 1t Is believed in st. Kits
mat nSh caught in the channel between
81. Kits and st. Eustatius are more unsafe
Tor eating purposes than those taken on
any Other art of the coast. The cause Of
chiS VeiiomouS property is quite unknown.
oeho people nave an absurd idea that old
nSHeS' which haVe been long in the habit
"a Iee''lhg on or over certain mysterious
C"Ppe banks, known only to themselves,
become ut last 80 metallic, in their comDo-
sIll"n as TO be dangerous articles of food.
The InckIeSS PpicuFe who gets such a con.
per bank established in bis stomach NAV
naturally be expected at once TO
casting mp his accounts. But il il mead.
less to say that, it a Cravalli bad addictsd
himself to the bad habit of conner eatiuy
the fact could easily be discovered. which
1t never has been, by analysing a bit of hia
neSh. Some hold that the poison originates
!nthe Yellow Billed Sprat(O lupaithrySsa) or
III the Jack (CIranx Plumieri) and that the
larger species get their ~nOxiouS properties
from having fed an the smaller ones, 80
mat even such q poisonous Dish az the
barracuda tSphyrOOna Barracuda) for in.
StAnce, would be perfectly innOcuous.
out Tor his weakness for sprat suDDers.
1he fishermen III Barbados believe that
az the times when Jacks are poisonous.
luele are Two red Jumps in their gillS-a
sort OF mnmps, according to these learned
authorities, to which jack flesh is prone,
IL Is well known that the eating of mus.
sells, oysters, aud other shell.Rsh, even i'm
England, is occasionally followed by se.
IIOuS or even fatal results. or course
these stationary mOlluscS could not haye
led either on copper banks or mummy
jacks. The honey of bees. the flesh OF
some birds, and that of the polar bear,
have all been known to give rise to symp.
toms OF poisoning. Fish poisoning is pro.
badly due in reality to some peculiar virus
generated in the blood and tissue of the.
creature, either in a healthy and normal,
or III u more or less diseased state of it's
system. Perhaps this virus, though not
elttrely due to any putrefactive process,
may yet DO Ill some measure connected
Herewith and may consequently not be
matured before the death of the Ash. In.
clpient decomposition, such as Immediately
commences on the cessation of life. along
with some special state of the creatures
body before its death, may both be essen.
tlal to the elaboration of this subtle poi.
son. 1t probably in sOOn destroyed by the
progress of decay. It presents many
points of analogy as well as some marks
OF dlSSlmllarlty, to certain other animal
pOisonS, such as that of snakes. or the vi.
rus from q human body in the earlier sta
geS OF decomposition.
1t may be we'll to state that Curacao.
MarachinO, NOyeau, and such like sweet
liqueurS are about the best antldotes to Ash
poison. The most remarkable Of the pOi.
sOnOns fishes on the st. Kits coast is the
FairMaid, which generally goes by another
and less romantic name, the Drunken
Fish.
Sir r. S~chomburgk says of it, the 6esh
of this species is pretty well tasted. There
il u gelatinOns matter contained near where
the tail is joined to the osseous plates.
which IS sailed the jelly, q d q similar
matter is found near the head. When
only part Of The jelly has oeen swallowed,
Its effects are vertigo and sick,
ness of the stomach with nain -, III l;n,l.u