140 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
daughter was amusing herself by spinning the wheel of an old 
toy wheelbarrow which had been lying about since the preced- 
ing fall. Suddenly she cried out in great pain that a spider had 
bitten her. Soon afterward she fainted and was convulsed with 
pain. The spider, which was caught and proved to be Phydippus 
tripunctatus Z., had bitten one of her fingers, which showed 
very plainly two little holes close together. The space in the 
immediate vicinity was white, but a bright red color surrounded 
it and gradually extended over the entire arm. The bitten spot 
was frequently washed with diluted liquid ammonia. After pass- 
ing through a number of convulsions with intense symptoms of 
fever, headache, swollen eyes, and great pain in the pit of the 
bitten arm, the girl gradually grew better, and after about three 
days all inflammation had disappeared. 
Dr. Marx commented on the case, and the importance of thor- 
oughly investigating all the circumstances, before deciding that 
death really occurred from the spider's bite. It has been con- 
tended that it was almost impossible for Latrodectus to kill ; the 
mandibles are so minute and soft that, even if they could pierce, 
it would seem as if they could hold scarcely venom enough to do 
any harm. He hoped, with Dr. Fox, to carry on some experi- 
ments on this point. He would not be too hasty in applying 
ammonia as an antidote, since it was really not settled whether 
the venom was an acid or an alkali. 
Mr. Lugger said it turned blue litmus paper red. Continuing, 
Dr. Marx said that in homoeopathy some spiders were used 
medicinally. He described the habits of a Latrodectus mactans 
kept by him in captivity, describing the method of enveloping its 
victim in a viscid fluid which rapidly hardens into a gauzy tex- 
ture. This he had removed on one occasion, and swallowed, 
with the effect of increasing the pulse from 72 to 120; a second 
experiment produced the same results. 
Mr. Lugger said that he had been bitten by Lycosa on several 
occasions without unpleasant results. He had taken many La- 
trodectus mactans, but had never been bitten. 
Mr. Schwarz, commenting on the case described by Prof. 
Riley, does not consider it conclusive by any means. No one 
had seen the spider which bit the man, and the specimen sent 
was supposed to be like that which bit another man. 
