SCORPION VENOM. 237 



producing a highly active antitoxic serum, which, when mixed 

 with the poison, also prevented the haemolysis. Now, inasmuch 

 as the blood of the guinea-pig is insusceptible, and therefore 

 contains no receptors, the antiarachnolysine must have been 

 formed from other receptors. Since, however, it has also an 

 antilytic action, it is probable that the same conclusions may be 

 drawn as to its constitution as in the case of ricine (q.v.), to 

 which it offers many points of resemblance. 



Scorpion Venom. 



VALENTIN, 1 in 1874, investigated the effects of the venom in 

 the sting of the tail of a Tunisian scorpion (Androctonus 

 occitanus, Glaus). 



Small frogs were usually killed by the sting, but not larger 

 ones. It caused tetanic convulsions, and also twitchings of the 

 fibrillse, while the reflex excitability gradually disappeared from 

 behind forwards. 



Very similar results were also observed later by BERT 2 and 

 others. 



According to WILSON 3 scorpion venom causes convulsions and 

 death from asphyxia in the guinea-pig. 



The poison resembles veratrine in acting directly upon the 

 muscles, while the nerves are not affected. Certain animals that 

 live in the desert (jerboa, gerbillus) offer great resistance to 

 scorpion venom, an immunity probably acquired from frequent 

 stings. 



CALMETTE found (1895) a poison in the tail segment of Scorpio 

 afer, and isolated it by extracting the crushed bodies with water 

 and drying the extract in a vacuum. 



The poison killed mice in doses of 0-05 grm., and guinea-pigs 

 in doses of 0-5 grm., the symptoms closely resembling those 

 produced by snake venom. 



It also behaves in every other respect, and especially in its 

 relation towards the antitoxine, so exactly like snake toxine, as 

 to justify the conclusion that scorpion venom differs no more 

 from snake venoms than do these from each other, and also that, 

 like them, it contains the neurotoxine of the snakes in admixture 

 with small proportions of foreign bodies. This conclusion is also 

 supported by the fact that KYES (loc. cit.) was able to isolate 



1 Valentin, "Ueber d. Giftw. d. nordafrik, Scorpiones," Zeit. fiir Biol. t 

 xii., 170, 1876. 



2 Bert, Soc. Biol., xxxvii., 574, 1885. 



3 Wilson, "Action of Scorpion Venom," Journ. of Physiol., 1904, 31, 



