The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1913-11-25
STING OF SCORPION
Poems OF Mexico Suffer the Most
From Deadly Pest.
Four Thousand Deaths Yearly Are
Caused by the venomous Animal
Convuisions Preceee Victims
Final Collapse.


upon life expectancy in Mexico In
these restless days the Mexican scor-
p!on sill holds the record as official
executioner Of the republic. Four
thousand persons are reported TO die
each year IN Mexico from the stings
OF scorpions.
There are several varieties Of scor.
pions In Mexico. some OF them excede.
ingly venomous and others little
feared In the neighborhood of Tepic
the virulent centuris gracilis abounds,
but II Is little known about the more
northern state OF Sonora. II IL one
OF the most yenomous creatures in the
world.
In the small city of Durango scor.
pions are perhaps more plentiful and
more dangerous than anywhere else
In the republic. Here the climate Is
humid and torrid-it Is in the TERRA
caliente"-and 1t is estimated that
more than $1,000 scorpions are killed
each year, with no appreciable effect
on their numbers.
scorpion resembles diminutive
lobster. Some specimens are eight
Inches long, though the average length
Is from two to four inches. The claws
closely resemble IA iobsters; with them
the scorpion crushes it's prey after dis.
abling II by means of sting.
The body OF scorpion consists OF
several segmented joints, the last Ave
or more narrowing down 10 form the
tail. which curls up forward over the
body and terminates In the sting. This
businesslike appendage Is n horny.
sharp spine containing two little open.
tngs. which connect with the venom
gland within the cell OF the last seq.
ment. In striking. the scorpion gives
the tail rapid lashing motion for.
"ard In advance OF the body and III.
erally administers a hypodermic injec.
ton OF poison, or rather several injcc.
tions, for II usually stings repeatedly
when II does strike.
In color scorpions vary according 20
environment. One ordinarily colorless
or translucent will assume n brown
or blackish shade In dark surround.
ings. Scorpions live in the cracks OF
the sun.baked clay, under stones, In
the chinks OF the adobe huts and IN
the cracks In the plaster of OLD frame
houses. They prey upon spiders and
other night marauding insects. a spi.
der stung by u scorpion may be ob.
served undergoing commissions just be.
fore death as animals or human beings
do
Unless sleeping cots are well
screened and the supports immersed
IN cans of kerosene or carbolic acid
water evaporates too rapidly-thc
prowllng scorpion may find It's way
beneath the bed covers and sting the
restless child. by nature il is noe.
turnal pest. In Mexico every one takes
peep in the toe OF his shoe before
dressing in the morning TO assure him.
self that no undesirable citizen Is hid.
ing there.
Contrary TO common belief scorpions
never commit suicide by singing
themselves TO death--at least no, In
Mexico. In fact they seem immune 10
their own venom. Two wel.matched
fined In a Jar. stinging each other re-
peatedly. yet the victor does not die.
He tears his antagonist into small
pieces with his claws and voracious,y
devours every trace OF the vanauished
foe. And the cannibal thrives on the
diet.
Some scorpion bites cause little
more than burning pain and numbness
In the part affected for few DAYS.
hut the more poisonous varieties
cause death. and that speedily, espe.
cially when they sting young children
or debilitated old people. The lower
classes of people suffer more than the
well to do because OF their custom
OF going about half naked most OF the
time.
In serious cases the local numbness
and pain or burning extend over the
body In few hours. / Then follows
n feeling as OF ball In the throat.
tho victim clutching his throat az
though choking on foreign body.
Prompt treatment at this stage will
usually save life.
II not treated the mouth soon be-
gins TO froth and the eyes become red
dened and hypersensitive 10 light
Within an hour or two she breathing
grows shorter and more difficult, the
body turns blue, the pulse fails and
convulsions set In. The convulsions
recur frequently during several hours.
but complete relaxation usually ushers
In the end.
Fortunately unconsciousness deycI.
ops early, so that the victim does no,
suffer the tortures OF one dying from
lockjaw, The average time required
for scorpion sting to cause death
Is twelve or fourteen hours. This is
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