The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-09
Copyright. 1901. by L o. Howard)

Everywhere, among clNlllzed people, as
well as among uncivilized races. there ex-
ist superstitions regarding perfectly harm
less insects. For example, the common
dragon flies, or devils darning needles,
are feared very generally by English
speaking races, and the children in this
country think that these harmless insects
will sew up their ears. The common to-
mato worm. or tobacco worm, perfectly
harmless insect, is considered to be fatally
poisonous by many people.
Much of the common superstition about
spider bites is totally unfounded while
the stories about scorpions and centlpedes
are grossly exaggerated. The effects of
intense nervous fear. following physical
injury of an insignificant nature are well
understood by the medical profession.
Hence it is not difficult to understand cases
of severe nervous prostration and even
death following a sting or a bite from a
comparatively harmless insect. Nervous
breads are contagious, and psychologists
will admit that the darentism or tarentel-
la frenzy of South Europe, accribed to
the bite of the tarantula, which has been
repeated at long intervals within the past
few centuries, was largely dread, or
panic epidemic. Entomologists know that
there is nothing in the poison of the taran-
tula TO produce the symptoms described,
such as the prolonged dances ending in
coma. The so-called kissing bug epidemic
OF two years ago was probably in mod
ernized and minimized form influenced by
one of these psychological crazes.
The truly poisonous insects, that is, in
scots which possess poison glands and
s'ecrete poison with their bites or stings,
belong in the main to two classes. Either
they sting for protection, as with the
bees, certain ants and certain wasps, or
they use the poison to assist in the cap
ture of their prey. as with the digger
wasps, certain predaceous bugs, and all
spiders. The mosquito belongs to a third
class, and the purpose of the poison
which it injects is not fully understood.
1t may render the blood of its victim
more digestlble and less liable to coagu-
aation, or it may have some other, uneX-
planned use
Insect poisons as a rule were undoubt-
edly developed for use against other in
sects. Therefore, they are small in guam
tity and, generally speaking, are serious
ia their effects only upon other insects.
The exact nature of the poison is not
we'll understood In some instances 1t is
A conbina ton of an alkali and an acid,
which become effective only when they
are combined. In ants, wasps and bees
it consists of formic acid and a whitish
fatty, bitter residue in the secretion Of
the glands. The corroding, active formic
acid is the essential part of the poison.
Cases are on record of the death of hui
man beings as a result of the injection
of poison with the stings of bees and
wasps, as well as with the bites Of spi-
ders. Such cases, however, are rare. A
number of cases are on record or death
from a multitude of bee stings. I know
of one case well authenticated, of the
death of a middle-aged woman from
single bee sting. The physical condition
of the patient undoubtedly had much to
do with the fatal result, which was prob
ably due partly to nervous shocks and
possibly to the fact that the poison was
injected directly into a large vein and
was thus carried immediately to the
heart
Another case of similar nature came
under the observation of DR.. William
Frew Of England. in 1896 The patient
a young lady of % years of age, was
stung on the neck, just behind the angle
of the jaw, by a wasp, the sting Of which
was extracted by a servant A solution
of arnica was applied and as the patient
felt sick she was assisted to bed. She
complained immediately of a horrible
feeling OF choking and of pains in the
abdomen. -chs neck swelled rapidly and
the pains in the abdomen became agoniz-
ing. Two tNa.spoonfuls of brandy were
administered but before anything fur
Their could be done the patient became
insensible and breathed her last, fifteen
minutes after the sting. Or. Frew saw
the body about two hours after death
and found the neck and lower part Of
the body much swollen. The tongue was
swollen to such an extent that II filled
the mouth The young lady was OF
nervous excitable temperament, and had
shown symptoms of weak action OF the
heart From both father and mother she
had inherited gouty tendencies and the
mother was remarkably susceptible 10
the action Of certain medicines.
The stings OF bees end wasps have very
different effects on different people. and
without doubt persons who habitually
handle bees become immune 10 their poi
sons. That this immunity is produced by
inoculation cannot be doubted. but there
must be an aim ost continuous reinocula-
ton. A man may have kept
bees for a series OF years and
have become in a measure immune
10 their sting. He may discon-
tinus the industry for a year or so and
upon reeuming II he will find he IS at
fected BY bee stings as at first. II Is a
c,lrious fact that some portions OF the
hodv may become immune and others
not Mr. Herbert u. Smith, who Is a
professional collector OF insects, catches
bees and vases In his net and removes
them with his thumb and fore-fnger. In
his case. the fore-fnger Is stung so often
that il has become thoroughly inoculated
and stlnes upon this finger produce no
effect, but ~ he Is stung on the back OF
the neck. or IN some other part of the
body the sensation IS as painful as II Is
with another person.
Authentic cases OF death from spider
bite are rare. although cases reported IN
the newspapers are OF almost weekly oc-
currence. l have investigated more than
hundred such reports In the United
States in the past ten years. In many
cases the reported facts were entirely
erroneous. in the majority % cases no
spider was t7een to infiict the bite. there
were almost no cases In which the spider
was seen 60 bite and was saved for ex.
animation. Some years ago. a baby sieep
ing in q cradle ln "a Connecticut town wai
bitten upon the ap b. spider known q,
Iatrodectus mactans and died 81 a re-
fult 81 thu bite A labOring man IN South
Carolina. in tho early COS died. either n
result from the bite ~ spider Of M
same species Or o. result 81 the iarg'
doses of whisky which were given 20 HIN
aF "a remedy The latter explanation "a
tns more probable oue.
1ha LafrDoeCtuH ls not one of our lnrg,
aflrrF if ls FlstnInF black in colo
Htfr larger fhan "a large pea. D. d
q