VENOMS IN THE ANIMAL SERIES 283 



from a couple of bees, by crushing the posterior extremity of 

 the body in 1 c.c. of water, is sufticient to kill a mouse or a sparrow. 



Death supervenes in a few minutes from respiratory asphyxia, 

 as in the case of intoxication by the venom of Colubrine snakes 

 (Cobra). In the blood-vessels and in the heart the blood is black 

 and remains fluid. It therefore appears that this venom contains a 

 very active neurotoxin. 



The phenomena of intoxication caused by the venom of these 

 insects are, as a rule, slight, being limited to an acute pain, accom- 

 panied by a zone of oedema and burning itching. Sometimes 

 however, when the stings are in the eyelids, lips, or tongue, they 

 produce alarming and even fatal results, as shown by the following 

 incident : — 



On September 2G, 1890, a young girl of Ville-d'Avray was 

 eating grapes in the woods of Fausse-Repose, when she inadver- 

 tently swallowed a wasp. The unfortunate girl was stung in the 

 back of the throat, and the wound became so rapidly inflamed that, 

 in spite of the attentions of a doctor, she died in an hour from 

 suffocation, in the arms of her friends. 



Phisalix^ has studied the physiological action of bee-venom on 

 sparrows inoculated either by the sting of the insect, or with an 

 aqueous solution obtained by crushing the glands. In both cases 

 a local effect, paralysis of the part inoculated, is first produced ; 

 this is followed by convulsions, which may last for several hours ; 

 the final stage is marked by coma and respiratory trouble, which 

 ends in death. 



After being heated for fifteen minutes at 100° C. the venom 

 has no further local action ; the general phenomena are merely 

 diminished. If heated at 100° C. for thirty minutes, the venom 

 ceases to cause convulsions, but remains stupefactive. Exposure 

 for fifteen minutes to a temperature of 150° C. renders it completely 

 inert. 



' Comptes rendus de I'Academie des Sciences, July 25, 1890. 



