908 General Notes. [November, 



On the 1 8th inst, in the company of Professor Gill of the 

 institution, I examined for the first time Dr. Burr's specimen, 

 then in a cage in the herpetological room. It was in capital 

 health, and at first I handled it with great care, holding it in rny 

 left hand examining special parts with my right. At the close of 

 this examination I was about to return the fellow to his tempo- 

 rary quarters, when my left hand slipped slightly, and the now 

 highly indignant and irritated Heloderma made a dart forward 

 and seized my right thumb in his mouth, inflicting a severe lacer- 

 ated wound, sinking the teeth in his upper maxilla to the very 

 bone. He loosed his hold immediately and I replaced him in his 

 cage, with far greater haste, perhaps, than I removed him from it. 



By suction with my mouth, I drew not a little blood from the 

 wound, but the bleeding soon ceased entirely, to be followed in a 

 few moments by very severe shooting pains up my arm and down 

 the corresponding side. The severrty of these pains was so un- 

 expected that added to the nervous shock already experienced, 

 no doubt, and a rapid swelling of the parts that now set in, caused 

 me to become so faint as to fall, and Dr. Gill's study was reached 

 with no little difficulty. The action of the skin was greatly in- 

 creased and the perspiration flowed profusely. A small quantity 

 of whisky was administered. This is about a fair statement of the 

 immediate symptoms ; the same night the pain allowed of no 

 rest, although the hand was kept in ice and laudanum, but the 

 swelling was confined to this member alone, not passing beyond 

 the wrist. Next morning this was considerably reduced, and fur- 

 ther reduction was assisted by the use of a lead water wash. 



In a few days the wound healed kindly, and in all probability 

 will leave no scar; all other symptoms subsided without treat- 

 ment, beyond the wearing for about forty-eight hours, so much 

 of a kid glove as covered the parts involved. 



After the bite our specimen was dull and sluggish, simulating 

 the torpidity of the venomous serpent after it has inflicted its 

 deadly wound, but it soon resumed its usual action and appear- 

 ance, crawling in rather an awkward manner about its cage. 



Taking everything into consideration, we must believe the bite 

 of Heloderma suspectum to be a harmless one beyond the ordi- 

 nory symptoms that usually follow the bite of any irritated ani- 

 mal. I have seen, as perhaps all surgeons have, the most serious 

 consequences follow the bite inflicted by an angry man, and sev- 

 eral year; ago the writer had his hand confined in a sling for 

 many weeks from such a wound administered by the teeth of a 

 common cat, the even tenor of whose life had been suddenly inter- 

 rupted./?. W. Shiifeldt, M.D., U.S.A., 22d September, 1882. 



