CENTIPEDES 159 



A number of common spiders investigated by Kobert ^^ were ap- 

 parently not poisonous for mammals, except the ''cross spider" {Epe- 

 ira diadema), which has since been thoroughly studied by him and by 

 Sachs.'^*' Walbum *'°* states that the chief poison of these spiders is 

 found in the ovaries, the salivary poison being much weaker, and the 

 hemolysin is found chiefly in the albumin fraction. Epeiratoxin re- 

 sembles the snake venoms strikingly, according to Sachs, for it eon- 

 tains a powerful hemolysin which he calls " arachnolysin, " acting very 

 differently with different sorts of blood, and destroj'ed by heating at 

 70^-72° for forty minutes, and it behaves with lecithin and cholesterol 

 like cobra venom. "^ The agglutinin is quite distinct from the hemo- 

 lysin."- Only such blood is hemolyzed as is able to bind the poison 

 in the stroma of the red corpuscles. By immunizing a guinea-pig 

 Sachs succeeded in securing an antitoxin of some strength. The dis- 

 covery of this hemolysin explains Robert's observation of hemoglobin, 

 methemoglobin, etc., in the urine of persons bitten by spiders. 



Von Fiirtli considers that the bite of the historically famous Italian 

 tarantula is able to cause no more than local inflammation, and Ko- 

 bert found that the entire extract of six Russian tarantulas (w^liich 

 are supposed to be more poisonous than the Italian) caused no symp- 

 toms when injected into a cat. 



In all probability the other poisonous spiders possess toxic sub- 

 stances allied to those of the venoms, with hemolytic, agglutinative, 

 and neurotoxic products, Sachs' studies indicating the general sim- 

 ilarity of all the zootoxins. An antitoxin is said to have been secured 

 against the Russian tarantula."^ 



CENTIPEDES 



Undoubtedly the severity of centipede poisoning has been greatly 

 exaggerated, the results being usually limited to local inflammation, 

 frequently spreading some distance in an erysipelas-like manner. 

 An authentic case of fatal poisoning of a child four years old by a 

 centipede (Scolopendra heros) has been reported from Texas by G. 

 Linceicum,*'^ death resulting five to six hours after the bite was re- 

 ceived. Besides the local pain and inflammation, vomiting was marked, 

 occurring also in five other non-fatal cases. 



Centipedes secrete their poison in relatively large glands, which 



which is capable of causing severe spasm of Uie abdominal muscles, according to 

 Atwood (Southern Californ. Pract.. Vols. 10. 12 and 16). Kellogg and Coleman 

 (.Jour, of Parasitol., 1015 (1). IflJ), found extracts of the poison glands of this 

 spider to be highly toxic. 



59 "Beitriige ziir Kentnisse der Ciftspinnen,"' Stuttgart. 1001. 



eoHofmeister's Beitr.. 1902 (2), 12.5. 



GoaZeit. Tmmunitiit., 1015 (2.3), 623. 



«iPini. II Policlinico (Sez. Med.), 1009 (16), 208. 



62 V. Szily, Zeit. Tmmunitiit., 1910 (.5). 2S0. 



<5» Konstanzoff, Russkv Wratsch., 1007, Xo. 17. 



64Amer. Jour. Med. Sci., 1866 (.52), 575. 



