The Life of the Fly 



then, she operates on the patient, perforating 

 his paunch with a dexterous wound into which 

 the germs are inserted. Probably, a number 

 of pricks are administered, as the presence of 

 thirty parasites seems to demand. 



Anyway, the maggot's sl^in is pierced at 

 either one point or many; and this happens 

 while the grub is swimming in the pools 

 formed by the putrid flesh. Having said this, 

 we are faced with a question of serious inter- 

 est. To set it forth necessitates a digression 

 which seems to have nothing to do with the 

 subject in hand and is nevertheless connected 

 with it in the closest fashion. Without certain 

 preliminaries, the remainder would be unin- 

 telligible. So now for the preliminaries. 



I was in those days busy with the poison of 

 the Languedocian Scorpion^ and its action 

 upon insects. To direct the sting toward this 

 or the other part of the victim and moreover to 

 regulate its emission would be absolutely im- 

 possible and also very dangerous, as long as 

 the Scorpions were allowed to act as they 

 pleased. I wished to be able myself to choose 

 the part to be wounded; I likewise wished to 

 vary the dose of poison at will. How to set 



*Cf. The Life and Love of the Insect: chaps, xv and 

 xvi. — Translator's Note. 



370 



