New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-29
RITES THAT MAY POISON.
HUMAN TEETH AS WELL As ANIMAL
SOMETIMES DO So


EATING ANIMALS TIGERS BITES
THROUGH THE LUNGS
From The Spectator.
A correspondent Of 1.-The Morning POST re
wives a discussion which has for Some UNI, -. en
eaged the attention Of correspondents oi N!ne.
lean newspapers dealing with sport anu Ia, e. q,
bis,orv Quoting from n book on ranch NE, VI
which he does not give the title. he says IN
bite Of the small plains polecat ne ttne coy 10y
dreaded above all things. FOR ne kne" tna,
was practically certain to result IN nyuroplo
10 ord doath Many cowboys lost their lives
in this way being bitten by this ANNA, "he,
II had crawled into their blankets at night. ~
tho least move OF the sleeper the Vehofnous
creature would bite. and its bto-was accouhtee
almost certainly fatal one unlted o'"'c'
Army regiment stationed at an Arizona ,i pos
lost thirteen men in one season tii OuS" ~
of the poccat" This story Is evidently re-
viyal of the curious muddle Of fact ana FANCY
which has produced the myth current IN soin'
parts Of America OF the existence OF shunr
rabies" The "poecat' is not found on .ns
rabies" has hourishcd there exceedingly aho
takes the form given above-that the bite Oh
healthy skunk produces rabies. BeieVers IL
this story even go so far as to limit the ia. d,
results OF the bite by arbitrary lines OF lati'uue
north and south. Of a certain region.
The origin Of the story was probably inns INA ma
at some time there was an epidemic Oh rapes
among the small carnivora OF Arizona ouC t
an epidemic Is quite possible. for between Ioo
and 1887 there were no less than nine epiueihc.
OF rabies among wild foxes in diHereht par.s VI
Europe and two among cats and some or the
fox .pidcmcs were very fatal TO human ne
ms the rabid creatures left the woods ana came
into the villages But Pugn Thornton. writing
on the same subject, very properly calls atten
ton to the serious effects OF bites by aniinais
which are not rnbid: Having now been KEEP
TO my room for over month from the oi.e Oh
healthy dog. ! personally speak 10 tht
serious after effects Of an animals Dite anu
during my illness have learned that NUMBER
~ my friends have suffered for weeks togetne'
from having been bitten. sometimes "heh h''P
ing to free their own animals. which were
wcdgcd under a gate etc. And what Is more
surprising to me is that any OF US may nave
hands crippled for some time. the result of bites
from n mans teeth In one case friend NO.
lentiy dragged his hand against his own front
teeth and his hand was bad for som" weeks
after
POISONING BY HUMAN TEETH
No one who has any acquaintance with cases
~ wounds inflicted by the bites even Of non
carnivorous animals VIII doubt Mr.. Thornton's
view that IN" after effects 1rc not limited ~
the injuries caused 10y the actual cutting and
bruising made by the teeth though these are
serious enough. His instance Of the poisoning
caused accidentally by human teeth Is curious
hut not singular such cases were well Know
in the days OF the prze-rng, and Grantiey
berkeley mentions case in which the risk
was 50 great that som. rui'ian OF his acIiaint
ance rec koncd II among his personal advantages
that no one cared 10 risk the chance ~ cutting
his knucklrs against his incisors. Dog bites are
always dangerous. This IL mainly due, not to
poisoning though This often results. but to the
frightful wound which any large dog thoroughly
In earnest can infiiCt Human beings get on
lightly In many cases. because as a rule. a dog
only snaps" nj them when irrtatcd. and there
Is AS much difference between "A snap and a
bite as there is between FLIP With the back
Of the fingers and a knockdown blow.
Animals. II IL known recover from wounds
more easily than men do. Yet Lord Burlington
states that on ESmoor a deer bitten by one OK
the large hounds almost never RECEIVERS. The
wound is almost invariably mortal and the
animal wastes and dies But when large dog
loses s.lf-contro the injuries inflicted are fear
ful Children the usual victims OF these
brutes Every year gees one or two accounts
Of children crippled for lie by such attacks.
Quite recently case was reported In which a
savage dog had been handed over to another
person for sale This creature bit a child 80
badly as to MAIN her FOR life. Thirty-six bites
were inflicted on it's poor little body. In cases
which have come under the writer's notice the
bites were always in the leg. -Four deep holes
into which "A pencil might be pushed. and bad
bruisc. were the immediate result. followed by
intense inflammation. suppuration and pain.
one OF the worst recorded instances Of poison
ing from the bite OF non-carnivorous animal
that llamas and guanacOs. in addition To "A bad
and vicious temper have "A disgusting habit Of
splitting at PERSONS they dislike. This is nasty
enough. but an unintcnded experiment shows
that there Is every reason to believe that this
saliva Is sometimes poisonous II was intended
to remove male guanaco from its enclosure.
and several persons were occupied in its trans
fer. The guanaco bit one OF these in the wrist
and spat its saliva on the ear OF another. The
bite caused severe blood poisoning. the person
in Jurcd being i'll several months in consequence
while a young man. one OF the keepers whose
ear the creatures saliva had fallen. had "A minor
form OF blood poisoning affecting the ear and
neck.
Most poisoning caused by bites is however