The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-09-03
ANIMALS AND POISON.
Some Species Are Immune to the
Most Deadly Drugs.
MYSTERY OF THE HEDGEHOG.
This srlstly Little Creature Can Make
Meal Of Arsenic or Opium and
Wash Il Down With a Draft Of
Prussie Acid Without Discomfort

/
Prussis Acid Without Discomfort.
Poison is surely one OF tho mos
weird of natures bizarre contriyances
A tiny speck OF an innocent lookin,
white powder on the tip Of the tongu,
, means instant death II that powdeI
happens to be the deadly drag aconi
tine. A moments whlff OF unseen va
por, and II that yapor rises from pur,
prussic acid all human aid is too late
The strangest fact about that curious
group of bodies called poisons Is thai
sometimes they are not posons. ol
course every one knows that when
kept under control by the skillful hand
of the physician poisons are most val
liable medicines, But few persons arr
aware of the still more curious fact
that poIsons when taken by certain aa'
imals even In large quantities are quite
harmless.
Yet. strange as II may seem, this II
perfectly true. Take, for instance. the
hedgehog. This bristly little animal is
absolutely poison proof, II can eat
without discomfort as much opium a.
n hardened Chinese can smoke In o
fortnight ANA can wash a meal down
with as much prussic acid as would
kill n regiment OF soldiers. II Is Gu.
pable OF swallowing arsenic with lust
as much relish as II eats cockroaches.
1t Is quite immune to the venom OF the
snake, though the prickly hedgehog
has little need to fear the approach OF
such reptile. II has even been stated
that II can swallow corrosive subli-
mate, and yet this Is yirulent poison
which human beings must handle with
caution, for even a solution Of II exter
nally applied has been known TO cause
death.
Cyanide of potassium Is another
deadly substance OF which the hedge.
hog need have no fear and yet the
merest trace Of the poison Is sufficient
TO cause full grown man 10 foam nj
the mouth and lose the power of his
limbs
Man Is said to resemble the monkey
In more ways than one; but, whatever
characteristics they may have In com
mon, the ape differs from the human
being In this respect-he can take with
impunity as much strychnine as would
kill two men Instantly. The monkey.
curiously enough, shares the immunity
to strychn'ne poisoning with inverte-
brate animals. Another phenomenon Is
the rat. The number OF rat poisons
sold by druggists is legion, but there Is
one poison which never enters into
their composltion-namely, dIgltal!n.
the active principle Of the foxgloye
One-half grain Of this poisonous prin. |
ciple suffices TO kill man within three
quarters OF an hour. but the rat abso-
lutely refuses to let It kill him.
When II is discovered that a human
being has swallowed oxallc acid, the |
first thing the doctor does Is to give his
unfortunate patient good dose of
chalk, technically known as calcium
Strange to relate, chickens
are not poisoned by oxallc acid, for the
simple reason that their intestines con.
tain the antidote in the form OF guam
titles OF calcium, which combine with
the poison and render 1t quite harm.
less. II is interesting, however. TO
that IL oxallc acid Is injected
Into the blood of fowl 1t would be
poisoned. 1t is only when given by the
mouth that the acid comes In contact
with the antidote. However, as chick
ans are not provided with hypodermic
;yringes, they are not likely to run any
LANCER
II China were inhabited by pigeons
instead Of by people who speak pigeon
English, a costly war and no end Of
controversy might have been averted,
or pigeons are not deAoralized by
plum. You cannot put Il pigeon to
leep with the "drowsy giant simply
eeauSe there is something In the birds
nteriQr which resists the narcotic In
uence Of the morphine to which
plum owes its activity.
There ls little to connect the Russian
easant with goat--unless 1t is beard
yet nevertheless both have one trait
] comInOn--neither IA harmed hy hem
,ck. II was the juice of the hemiock,
D we have been told until we are tired
hearing 1t, that killed Socrates. Ever
Ince them 1t has been on the poison list
8 far AZ civilized beings are concern.
d; but. all the same, roots Of hemlock
re eaten as food by the Russian peas
by goats.
In ono respect the peasant of the
.ustrian Tyrol resembles the hedge,
og, because he can take in one dose
8 much arsenic as would kill several
mericans. This Is not because the
eagant is provided with any special
leans Of combating the effects of the
rug, but because lie habltuates him.
III to 1t. The Tyrolean finds that ar.
,nic increases his power Of endurance
70 commences by taking an ei2hth
art of grain for 4 dose. which Is
radually increased until hc can tali9
ithout any III effect I've or rnarl
rains at a time.
EYnnr4q hnva rnt baau ai,Ia IN ,ynkc |