266 



Wallace's statements we cordially invite corresi)ondence upon tliis sub- 

 ject Avitli veterinarians, stock-raisers, and farmers, and sliall be pleased 

 to compile the result of this correspondence for a later issue of this 

 journal. 



EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE. 



The Effects of a Spider Bite on a Child. 



On the 5th of last October I returned home with my wife and infant child from a 

 week's visit in Boston, arriving ahont 7 o'clock p. m., and as soon as the cradle was 

 ready the child was soon asleep, being very tired. We had been home nearly two 

 hours and the child in bed an hour or a little less when we were startled by piercing 

 cries from the bedroom. Taking up a lamp and followed by my wife I hastened into 

 the room, much startled by the unusual severity of the crying. The little one was 

 sitting up in her cradle and seemed to be in great pain and badly frightened ; yet we 

 could see no signs of illness nor cause for fright, and it was some time before my 

 wife could quiet her. At last the crying gave place to sobbing, with less frequent 

 spells of convulsive trembling, that at first had been almost constant. So, thinking 

 all was favorable, I returned to my letters, leaving my wife with the infant in her 

 arms. I had been at my desk but a few minutes when I was called again to the side 

 of the child, when my wife drew my attention to the child's left eye, and there I 

 noticed for the first time that the under lid was highly inflamed and somewhat swol- 

 len, the swelling extending for nearly an inch along the lid, and with the exception 

 of a slight tinge on the cheek the inflammation was confined at this time to the lid. 



Thinking it was the result of the bite of a mosquito, I bathed the swollen part 

 with a solution of Hamamelis, and for a time this seemed to soothe the pain, and my 

 wife soon felt warranted in again placing her in the cradle. Again I was called into 

 the room by my wife, who informed me that a spider was on the pillow. Taking 

 the lamp I examined the cradle, and, sure enough, there was a small and rather hand- 

 some colored spider, which I secured and placed in a pill box for future identifica- 

 tion. The child was very fretful, and the inflammation and swelling were rapidly 

 increasing, and now (at 10:30 p. m.) it covered the whole under eyelid and extended 

 to the side of the nose and cheek. The child was in a high fever, the skin dry and 

 hot, pulse rapid, but seemed very weak. She no longer cried as before, but the rest- 

 lessness increased, while there was almost incessant trembling, as if in great fear or 

 very cold. A 5 per cent solution of carbolic acid was used two or three times, but 

 later on was discarded for ammonia. No special benefit could be observed by the 

 use of either, Hamamelis having the most soothing eftect. A little past midnight 

 the inflammation had extended to the upper eyelid, and it soon became evident that 

 it was following a rapid course that would include the right eye, and had already 

 worked downward halfway to the lip on the left cheek. Before 2 o'clock it had 

 crossed the nose, and quite a severe swelling began on the eyelids, but before it 

 reached the right eye it had extended on the left side of the forehead nearly to the 

 hair. At 3 o'clock the inflammation remained the same ; the left eye could scarcely 

 be opened, and that only with great diflBculty, the fever still high, but pulse more 

 normal, nervous twitchings of the muscles less, and quiet sleep took the place of the 

 uneasy naps. 



There was no nausea at any time, and after 3 o'clock food was taken. In the morn- 

 ing the fever had subsided, but the inflammation and swelling were as virulent as 

 ever, and it was not until the end of the third day that it had subsided sufficiently 

 to be considered much better, and nearly two weeks before no trace could be seen of 

 it. The place where the spider inflicted the wound was very minute, scarcely noticed 

 until after the inflammation had reached its limit, and looked more like the puncture 



