Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-05-08
ANIMALS and POISON.
Some Species Are immune to the
Most Deadly Drugs.
MYSTERY OF THE HEDGEHOG.
This sr'stly -Iittie Creature. Can Make
Meal Of Arsenic or Opium and
Wash IL Down With a Draft Of
Prussie Acid Without Discomfort.

Wash IL Down With a Draft Of
Prussie Acid Without Discomfort.
Poison Is surely one OF the most
weird OF natures bizarre contrivances.
A tiny speck of an innocent looking
white powder on the tip OF the tongue
means instant death II that powder
happens to be the deadly drug aconi-
tue. A moments whifr OF unseen va
por. and IL that vapor rises from pure
prussic acid all human add IL too late.
The strongest fact about that curious
group OF bodies called poisons is that
sometimes they are not poisons. OF
course every one knows that when
kept under control by the skiIlful hand
OF the physician poisons are most val
liable medicines. But few persons arr
aware OF the still more curious face
that poisons when taken by certain an.
imals even in large quantities are quite
harmless.
Yet. STRANGE as II mag seem, this Il,
perfectly true. Take. for f,s,ance. tia
hedgehog. This bristiy little animal h
absolutely poison proof. 1t can eat
without discomfort as much opium AZ
hardened Chinese can smoke in a
fortnight and can wash meal down
with as much prrssIc acid as would
lsiil 4 regiment OF soldiers IL Is ca
pable OF swallowing arsenic Wit, lust
as much relish as Il cats cockroaches.
IL is quite immune 20 TIE venom OF tho
Snake. though the pricsiy hedgehog
has little need to fear the approach OF
such reptile. 1t has even been stated
that Ii can swallow corrosive subIi-
mate. and yet this is Il virulent poison
which human beings must handle with
caution, for even n solution of it 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 n full grown man to foam at
thsr mouth and lose the power OF his
limbs. Truly the hedgehog is a strange
freak. and yet not SO inexplicable as
the poisons by which he refuses to be
poisoned.
Man Is said TO resemble the monkey
IN more ways than one: but, whatever
characteristics they may have I'm 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 strychnine poisoning with inverte-
brate animals. Another phenomenon is
the rat. The number OF rat polsons
sold by druggists Is legion, but there Is
one poison which never enters into
their composition-namely. digitalin.
the active principle OF the foxglovc.
One-half grain OF this poisonous prln-
cipse sufiices to kill man within three
quarters of an hour, but the rat abso-
lutely refuses TO let IL Kill him.
When II is discovered that human
being has swallowed oxalic acid. tho
first thing the doctor does is TO give his
unfortunate patient good dose OF
chalk. technically known as calcium
carbonate. Strange 10 relSte, chickens
are not poisoned by oxalic 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. 1t is interesting. however. to
mention that If oxalic acid is injected
into tie blood OF n fowl 1t would be
poisoned. II is only when given by the
mouth that the acid comes in contact
with the antidote. However. as chick.
ems are not provided with hypodermie
syringes. they are not likely TO run any
danger.
IL China were Inhabited by pigeons
Instead OF by people who speak pigeon
English, costly war ami no end OF
controversy might have been averted,
for pigeons are not demoralized by
opium. You cannot put pigeon TO
sleep with the "drowsy giant" simply
because there Is something In the birds
Interior which resists tho narcotic in
huence of the morphine to which
opium owes its activity.
There Is little 20 connect the Russian
peasant 18th Il goat-unleSs ii is beard
yet nevertheless both have one trait
In comm or.-neither is harmed by hem
lock. IT was the juice of the hemlock.
so we have been told until we are tired
or hearing II. that killed Socrates. Ever
since then II has been on the poison list
as far as civilized beings are concern
ed; but. all the same. roots OF hemlock
are eaten rs food by the Russian peas
ants-and by goats
In one respect the peasant OF the
Austrian Tyrol resembles the hedge
hog because he can take IN oise dose
as much arsenic as would kin several
Americans. This is not because the
peasant is provided with any special
means OF combating the effects of the
drug, but because he habituates him.
self TO IT,. The Tyrolean finds that ar
senic Increases his power OF endurance.
He commences 10y taking an eighth
part.of a grain for dose, which is
gradually Increased until he can take
without any i'll effect five or more
grains at time.
Experts have not been able TO make
up their minds why these people be-
come tolerant to the drug The most
plausible theory put forward up to the
present Is that an antitoxin Is formed
by the administration OF the poison
which lmmunizes the subject, just as
calf lymph immunizes us against
smallpox.-Baltimore Sun.
lime brings no mercy to the blgot,s
nafe.-Schillar