187G.] 167 



Meloe and Mylahris as cures foi- hydrophobia. — At the Meeting of the French 

 Entomological Society, 13th September, 1876, M. Reiche communicated the following 

 notes, sent to M. cle Saulcy (pere) by his correspondent M. ChcTavarie from Gabes, in 

 Tunis. The latter says : — " I make known to you the Arab remedy for hydrophobia. 

 " It consists of two species of beetles, of which I send specimens. They were given 

 " to me south of the Ouderna by a man of the tribe of the Aiuerna ; he possesses a 

 " dozen, whicli he guards preciously. In giving them to me, he detailed their virtues, 

 " and explained fully the mode of application. On my return to Grabes, I spoke of 

 " this remedy to a very intelligent Arab ; he assured me that all that had been told 

 " me was very true ; that it was recorded in their books on medicine, in which one 

 " reads that the Dernona (the insect) cures hydrophobia when administered within 

 " 20 days of the bite : that it should be given to the patient in a portion the size of 

 " a grain of wheat in a morsel of food. This insect has very powerful vesicant pro- 

 " perties, according to the Arabs, and it would be dangerous to increase the dose. 

 " The Arabs are unanimous in affirming that the remedy is effectual, but it acts only 

 " during the first 18 or 20 days. It appears, also, beyond doubt, that it occasions 

 " dreadful colics, so that, being a remedy of extreme violence, it should only be ad- 

 " ministered with the greatest prudence." 



M. Reiche says that the Coleoptera belong to Meloe tuccius, Rossi, and 

 3£ylahris tenehrosa, Castelnau, extremely vesicant species ; and he remarks that the 

 employment of 3Ieloe in this way has been long known. He thinks that too much 

 publicity could not be given to the notice in order to induce medical men to try the 

 supposed remedy for this frightful disease. 



[Without expressing any opinion as to the value of this supposed remedy, we 

 would remark that the belief in it by the Arabs of the present day is evidently only 

 the remnant of a faith at one time far more general. Hagen's " Bibliotheca 

 Entomologica " contains about 15 references to works (mostly published in the last 

 century), in which Meloe, Cantharis, and especially Melolontha, are credited with 

 curative powers in this disease. Or more probably the word " preventive " would 

 be better than " curative." The " intelligent Arab's " statement does not appear to 

 U8 to show that the "remedy " has any effect when the disease has manifested itself; 

 and it is always open to the incredulous to say that no virus had been received into the 

 blood (and hence the disease not incubating), in those cases where no ill effects fol- 

 lowed a bite, if the " remedy " had been administered within the stated time. We 

 observe in the Bullettino of the Italian Entomological Society, just received, viii, 

 pp. 229 — 233, a letter from Dr. Sonsino to Professor Targioni Tozzetti, on Mylahris 

 fulgorita, Rche., used in Egypt as a preventive for hydrophobia. In this, various 

 references are given to medical works bearing on the subject. — Eds.] 



The Douhleday Collection. — As many of the readers of the Entomologists' 

 Magazine are aware the hours for visiting the Collection have been from 10 a.m. 

 till 5 p.m., I beg to forward for publication the following letter. — D. Pratt, Secretary, 

 East London Entomological Society, 333, Mile End Road, Ei South Kensington 

 Museum, London, S. W. : 1st day of November, 1876 : Bethnal Green Branch 

 Museum. — Sir, — In compliance with the wish expressed by the Members of the 

 East London Entomological Society in the letter received from you to-day, I beg 

 to acquaint you that arrangements have been made for the Doubleday Collection at 



