760 



A HISTORY OF 



near the base by two small holes, through 

 n liich, when the animal stings, it ejects ;i drop 

 of poison, which is white, caustic, and fatal. 

 The reservoir in which this poison is kept, is 

 in n small Madder near the tail, into wliich 

 the venom is distilled by a peculiar appara- 

 tus. If this bladder be gently pressed, the 

 venom will be seen issuing out through the 

 two holes above mentioned ; so that it ap- 

 pears, that when the animal stings, the blad- 

 der is pressed, and the venom issues through 

 the two apertures into the wound. 

 There are few animals more formidable, 

 or more truly mischievous than the scorpion. 

 As it takes refuge in a small place, and is 

 generally found sheltering in nouses, so it 

 cannot be otherwise than that it must fre- 

 quently sting those among whom it resides. 

 In some of the towns of Italy, and in France, 

 in the province of Languedoc, it is one of the 

 greatest pests that torment mankind : but its 

 malignity in Europe is trilling, when compared 

 to what the natives of Africa and the Kast are 

 known to experience. In I'atavia, where 

 they grow twelve inches long, there is no re- 

 moving any piece of furniture, without the 

 utmost danger of being stung by them. Bos- 

 man assures us, that, along the Gold Coast, 

 they are often found larger than a lobster; 

 and that (heir sling is inevitably fatal. In 

 Kurope, however, they are by no means so 

 large, so venomous, or so plentiful. The 

 general size of this animal does not exceed 

 t-.vo or three inches; and its sling is very sel- 

 dom found to be fatal. Matipertuis. who 

 made several experiments on the scorpion of 

 Languedoc, found it by no menus so inva- 

 riably dangerous MS had till then been repre- 

 sented. He provoked one of them to sting a 

 tlog, in three places of the belly, when- the 

 animal was without hair: in about an hour 

 after the poor animal seemed greatly swollen, 

 and became very sick ; he then east up what- 

 ever he had in his bowels; and for about 

 three hours continued vomiting a whitish 

 liquid. The belly was always greatly swollen, 

 when the animal began to vomit; but this 

 operation always seemed to abate the swell- 

 ing; which alternately swelled, and was thus 

 emptied, for three hours successively. The 

 poor animal, after this, fell into convulsions, 

 bit the ground, dragged himself along upon 



his fore feet, and at last died, five hours after 

 being bitten. He was not partially swollen 

 round the place which was bitten, as is usual 

 after the sting of a wasp or a bee; but his 

 whole body was inflated, and there only ap- 

 peared a red spot on the places where he had 

 been stung. t 



Some days after, however, the same ex- 

 periment was tried upon another dog, and 

 even with more aggravated cruelty; yet the 

 dog seemed no way alT'ected by the wounds, 

 but howling a little when he received them, 

 continued alert and well after them; and 

 soon after was set at liberty, without showing 

 the smallest symptoms of pain. So far was 

 this poor creature from being terrified at the 

 experiment, that he left his own master's 

 house, to come to that of the philosopher, 

 where he had received more plentiful enter- 

 tainment. The same experiment was tried 

 by fresh scorpions, upon seven other dogs, 

 and upon three hens; but not the smallest 

 deadly symptoms were seen to ensue. From, 

 hence it appears that many circumstances, 

 which are utterly unknown, must contribute 

 to give ellicacy to the scorpion's venom. 

 Whether its food, long fasting, the season, 

 the nature of the vessels it wounds, or its 

 slate of maturity, contribute to, or retard its 

 malignity. is yet to be ascertained by succeed- 

 ing experiments. In the trials made by our 

 philosopher, he employed scorpions of both 

 sexes, newly caught, and seemingly vigorous 

 and active. The success of this experiment 

 may serve to show, that many of those boast- 

 ed antidotes which are given for the cure of 

 the scorpion's sting, owe their success rather 

 to accident than their own efficacy. They 

 only happened to cure, when their sting \\a a 

 no way dangerous; but in cases of actual 

 malignity, they might probably be utterly un- 

 serviceable. 



The scorpion of the tropical climates being 

 much larger than the former, is probably 

 much more venomous. Helbigius, however, 

 who resided for many years in the East, 

 assures us, that he was often stung by the 

 scorpion, and never received any material in- 

 jury from the wound : a painful tumour gene- 

 rally ensued : but he always cured it, by rub- 

 bing the part with a piece of iron or stone, 

 as he had seen the Indians practise before 



