The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-05-25
WHEN THE BLACK WIDOW
 BITES

It is only in the past two or three years that we have heard much about arachnidism or poison ing by spider bites, and in most in- stances of such poisoning the black widow spider (Latrodectus mac tans) is held responsible.
 Here is fairly typical case as reported in American Jour. Medi- cal Sciences (ApriD by. Drs. Elmer w. Gilbert and Charles M. Stewart, Los Angeles County Hospital.
 White male, 2S, bitten by
 black widow Nov. 6 while tear-
 ing down old barn. Two hours
 later nausea, vomiting, profuse
 precipitation, excruciating gener-
 alized abdominal pain, pains in
 thighs, legs, arms and forearms,
 and feelings of tightness and suf-
 location about chest and throat.
 Unable to speak because of
 tighteness in masseter muscles,
 Entered hospital D. m. next day,
 screaming with pain and thrash
 ing and rolling about the bed.
 Skin hot and moist. Blood pres-
 sure 160-95. Pulse rapid but
 good quality. Temperature 101.
 Respiration 30. Boardlike rig
 idity belly, but no tenderness.
 Reflexes not elicited because of
 restlessness. Leukocytes 30,000
 (perhaps 5000 is the normal
 count of white corpuscles), S0Go
 neutrophils. (That is the ordi-
 nary proportion of polynuclear
 white corpuscles seen in cases of
 acute inflammation or more par
 ticularly suppuration).
 Now comes an interesting cons tribution made by these Los An geles physicians.
 At 10p. m. ten co. (ampule) of a ten per cent. solution of calcium chlorid was given intravenously with immediate relief of pain and total relaxation of the spastic mus cles. Ten minutes later the patient was sitting up in bed, smoking and drinking and complaining only of some aching in feet and throat. Make a note. Mrs. Sumsey, and you, too, Ben Told. If anybody on your beat gets bitten by a black widow, come a-runnin' with the in- formation about calcium chlorid. The cure, however, was not per- manent. Alas. it seems a shame to spoil a perfect story, but the truth must be told, let the chips fall where they may. The patient re- ceived hypodermic injection of a narcotic to insure sleep that night. At 7:30 next morning there was a recurrence of the pain. and a sec- ond ten cubic centimeters of the 1Oqo solution of calcium chlorii was injected into a vein, and again the patient experienced prompt and complete relief. Still a third time that same evening pains re- turned. and this time one gram (about 15 grains) of calcium glu- conate was given by mouth and an- other hypodermic injection of mar cotic, and this brought relief in 15 minutes. Three hours later it was necessary to repeat these medi- cines. and again at p. m. the fourth day. with relief of pain in both instances within IS minutes. Patient was discharged symptom- less the evening of the fourth day. Four other cases are reported by the Los Angeles physicians. In one case excruciating pains in lower chest and lumbar regions were completely dispelled within one minute after an intrnmuscular in- lection of 10 co. Of l0fa solution Of calcium giuconate. Calcium glu. conate was chosen because it is easier to administer by injection Into muscle tissue. Calcium chlorid ls preferred where the inJoction ft given directly Into Q veIn