Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-24
SUFFER BUT LITTLE PAIN
Experiences Of Men Who Have Been Struck
Down by Lions.
The Bite of q Smaller Animal In Mucl,
More Painful-SOme Remark.
able Escapes. ,a


from the London Spectatos.
The attacks Of the lesser carnivora.
smaller in proportion to man, are frequent.
ly very painful; but matters are so order.
ed that the bite Of a dog or a ferret is usu.
ally more painful than the injuries inflicted
by the jaws OF the lion. The instances
quoted are very numerous and striking
and properly grouped according to locality,
or the species Of the attacking beast. In
Somaliland the experiences of the bitten
are supplemented by Capt. Abud. the resi-
dent at Berbera, who has had a long ex-
perience Of cases. English and native, as
most OF the former, unless killed outright
which very seldom happens, are brought to
Berbera ~
He states that "the view that no actual
pain Is suffered at the time seems almost
UNIVERSAL. In most cases 1t would seem
that there was no knowledge Of the actual
contact, even in the first rush of lion,
much less OF any pain experienced from
tooth wounds" This was the view not
only OF the English, but of natives. In
one or two cases where consciousness was
entirely lost. the person came to- while
the hon was still standing over him, a
period of complete anaesthesia and uncon-
seriousness having interviewed. But more
commonly those who have been attacked
and have recovered are conscious all the
time, and II they suffer at all do not feel
acute pain. This may be accounted for
3
which forms the usual preliminary to be-
ing wounded A lion comes at it's enemy
at full speed, galloping low, and dashes a
man standing upright to the ground by the
full impact Of it's body Maj. 1nverarity
states that 1.-The claws and teeth entering
the flesh do not hurt as much as you would
think, but that the squeeze given by the
jaws on the bone is really painful. When
knocked over he was still keenly conscious,
and felt none Of the dreamy sensation ex-
perienced by Livingstone.
Maj. Swaine, struck down by a nOness
going full gallop, was unconscious for some
minutes, and did not know what had hap
pened till he found himself standing up
after the accident. II felt no pain,' he
writes, mot, l believe, owing to any spe-
cial interposition of Providence, but simply
that the shock and loss of blood made me
incapable of feeling 1t. There was no pain
for few days. till 1t was brought on by
the swelling of my arm on the twelve days
ride to the coast" Captain Noyes, attack
ed in the same district by lion In 1885,
was charged down, and bitten, until the
creature left him, probably when attacked
by his servants. His hand was badly bitten
but he was not conscious of any feeling
of fear, or any pain whatever, probably be-
cause there was no time, but felt exactly
as il he had been bowled over In foot
ball match. and nothing more" A far
worse accident was that which befell Lieu
tenant Vandezee in the same year, near
Beira- The lion charged him down in the
usual way, and mangled his thighs and
one Of his arms. During the
time the attack on me by the lion was in
he writes, II felt no pain what
ever, although there was distinct feeling
of being bitten-that is, l was perfectly
irde pendently OF seeing the per-
Torrance, that the lion was gnawing at me-
but there was no pain. l may men,
ton that while my thighs were being gnaw-
ed l took two cartridges out the the breast
pocket of my shirt, and threw them to the
Kaffir, who was lowering a few yards
away, telling him to load my rifle and inn
the lion died and rolled off me
scrambled up and took a loaded rifle and
fired at the carcass"