The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-17
WHAT Bit MISS EGAN?!
Spiders and Thousand
Leggers" Both Share
the Blame.
A MOST REMARKABLE CASE.
Insects in This Part Of the Country
Are Not Considered
Poisonous.

SectS bite has awakened widespread
interest. Miss Egan was sitting on the
stoop of her home. No. 143 Erie street, last
Thursday evening. conyersing with her
mother. They had been sitting there
some time when Miss Eagan felt some
thing era awling upon her face, followed
immediately by stinging sensation on
the cheek as though she had been
brushed over the spot with her
hand and thought no more of
the occurrence. The next morning
however she felt an itching sensation
about the spot where she had felt the in
sect and she scratched it. Soon after
center appeared on her right cheek near
the mouth, about a quarter of an inch
around the spot where she was bitten. This
gave her no trouble except slight pains
which frequently shot through her cheek.
The pimple began to grow until Satur-
day it greatly resembled boil and occa-
stoned Miss Egan considerable pain.
Her mother dressed it with sulpher salve
but all day Saturday it continued to in
crease in size and the pain grew to be in
tense. That evening Mr.. Egan advised
his daughter to consult the druggist on
the corner. She did so and was told by
the druggist that it was a.
milk poultice. The poultice was applied,
but afforded only slight relief, and on
Sunday morning the entire right side OF
the young lady's face was swollen to an
unusal size. Then Miss Egan informed
her father of the incident of Thursday
evening last Mr.. Egan Immediately con-
cluded that the insects bite had poisoned
his daughter and he called in DR.. P. 2.
Hoffman. The physician declared that
the young lady was suffering from blood
poisoning and ordered the usual reme-
dfoc fr,1 1,o orn1iad
THE YOUNG LADY GROWS WORSE.
He had scarcely left the house when he
was summoned back. The pain had
grown so intense that Miss Egan had
become delirious. DR.. Hoffman sent for
Dr. W. W Varick and held consulta-
ton with him. 1t was concluded
to lance the cheek, which was
done by DR.. Varick, and two ounces
of Duss were taken from her cheek Tho
operation, however, afforded the young
lady no relief. and her head and face con-
tinued to swell beyond all normal propor-
tions. She grew worse rapidly, and on
Monday high fever set in. She had in
tervals of consciousness during Monday,
on one of which occasions she recognized
her mother. and drawing Mrs. Egans
head down to her pillow requested her to
pray for her. She remained unconscious
all through Tuesday and died that even
ing al seven clock. Miss lEssgsn vas
twenty years old, pretty and great fav-
orite with all who knew her.
WHAT SORT OF INSECT WAS IT?
1t is not known exactly what kind of an
insect it was which bit Miss Egan. Her
father says it was one of those repulsive
redish colored worms commonly known
as "a thousand logger" 1t is about two
inches long and has sixty pair of legals-
1t belongs to the centipede family, the
bite of which is always looked upon With
apprehension 1t infests Hamilton Park,
near which Miss Egan lived, and crawls
over the hands and clothing of the oc-
cupants of the benches.
Such cases as that of Miss Egan ara
exceedingly rare in this climate as the
bites of the insects are not generally sup
posed to be attended with serious results.
DR.. Hoffman, who attended Miss Egan,
said that her illness greatly resembied
that which would have resulted from the
bite of a black spider. Ii he had been
called in time he is of the opinion he
could have saved her life, butt
when he arrived at her bedside thes
poison had permeated her entire system-
DR.. Varick had no doubt that Miss Eagan
died from the effects of some poisonous
insects bite. He has treated many per-
sons who have been thus bitten and he
says she had all the symptoms OF such
case.
THE POISONOUS SPIDER
/ had long talk with DR.. B. A. Watson
upon the subject OF the bites OF poisonous
insects and he said that the cases in
which serious results have followed the
bites of insects in this section
of the country are exceedingly
rare, so rare in fact that
but slight mention is made of the subject
in the standard medical works. We have
two common varieties of spiders: the
fly catcher which spins his web in the
rafters and corners of houses and barns.
and the small black spider which hides
in the dark recesses of cellars and stone
walls. The former is considered per
fectly harmless, while there are cases in
which the bite of the latter has had seri-
Gus effects. Although spiders popularity
have bad reputation, it has very seldom
happened thst any dangerous injuries
have been effected by any of the species
known to u.s.
One of the authorities says that bad eff
fects have occasionally followed the bite
of a spider, yet we know too little of the
character and habits of the insects to
speak with certainty of the effects of their
bite. The cases in which any serious re-
suits have been occasioned by their bite
are SO exceedingly rare that physicians
have had no occasion to fully make up
their minds whether they are poisonous
or not, and the cases which have resulted
fatally are rarer still
Although, as has been said before, the
insects known to this region are gene
rally considered harmless, yet the bite of
spider, a thousand logger, the
common honey bee or even the ordinary
house fly, may become poisonous. Any
of them, though not poisonous in them
selves, may act as a carrier of the poison
and transmit 1t from the source 10 the
individual. AS for example, there are
cases where honey bee after extracting
the pollen from some poisonous pian6
has stung person. or a common house
fly, which has been feeding upon carrion
has alighted upon an individual and BIZ
ten him, and serious results have fol-
lowed.
MUCH DEPENDS ON THE BLOOD.
These results In a great measure, now
ever, depend upon the state OF the blood
or system of the individual stung or Bit
ten. If the system is In good condition
or the blood wholesome no particularly
serious results follow. but il, on the other
hand, the system is debilitated or the
blood impaired, blood poisoning ensues.
1t often happens that the poison is a con-
siderable time in permeating the system
to a sufficient degree to affect the health
and life. Frequently person receives
some poison into the system which lies
dormant for some time until active exer-
else upon the part OF the lndiyidual stlfs
it up and starts it through the system.
Police Surgeon Nevin, in speaklng OF
the case, also said that It seldom nap
pened that an insects bite In this pary oL
the country resulted fatally, lie did not
understand that bad effects have foi-
lowed the bite Of spider, aitn0u2n ne
had heard Of an occasional case q shAs