April, '13] ROSENFELD AND BARBER: WASP STING 225 



but they appear to furnish the only logical explanation of all the phe- 

 nomena exhibited by both diseases. 



PECULIAR EFFECTS OF THE STING OF A WASP 



By Arthur H. Rosenfeld and T. C. Barber, Tucmndn, Argcnlpia 



In the early morning of the 23d of October last, we were called to 

 the bedside of a gentleman who stated that he had been bitten by some 

 insect. We arrived at his room about twenty minutes after he had 

 felt the puncture. He told us that he had awakened feeling something 

 crawling on his face, and when he attempted to brush it off the crea- 

 ture had bitten or stung him twice just below the eye. He stated that 

 he could distinctly feel the injected substance going through his veins, 

 and his assertions were confirmed by the fact that, although it was 

 then less than half an hour from the time of puncture, almost his 

 entire body had turned red, and in many parts, particularly on the 

 back and on the arms, there was a breaking out having the appearance 

 of prickly heat. The gentleman was undergoing great pain as the 

 irritation all over the body was very intense. The skin below the eye 

 had already swollen, so that this organ was almost closed, and both 

 arms, particularly around the wrists, had swollen considerably. 



A careful examination of the bed revealed a large black spider, 

 but this was thoroughly confined inside of a mosquito bar which had 

 not been used that night. The only other insect which could be found 

 in the room was a partly crushed wasp, apparently of the genus 

 Tachytes, which was resting on a hanging part of the mosquito bar, 

 close to the sufferer's head. It appeared that this must have un- 

 doubtedly been the insect which had done the damage. It is more 

 than probable that, after the first sting, or during the progress of the 

 second, the insect was struck, thus forcing an undue amount of formic 

 acid amongst the delicate nerves below the eye. The intense irritation 

 passed off in about an hour, although, naturally, the side of the face 

 which had been stung was severely swollen for several days. 



The results of this sting were so peculiar that we have thought it 

 worth while to put them on record, and we should appreciate hearing 

 from anyone else who has seen similar effects from the same cause. 



N.B.^ — A few days after this was written a httle native girl, about 

 twelve years of age, was stung by a wasp from the same nest. This 

 sting was on the lip. Within a short while both limbs had swelled 

 so that she could not stand, but all effect had worn off by the 

 next morning except immediately in the vicinity of the sting. A 

 few days afterwards a young man was stung on the wrist, his arm 

 swelling painfully to the shoulder. The irritation disappeared shortly 

 as with the other cases. 



