VEGETABLE POISONS. 189 



skin with such violence in their pincers, that they 

 will sooner suffer their head to be parted from 

 their body, than let go their hold." The burning 

 pain, which they occasion, cannot, in his opinion, 

 proceed from the sharpness of their pincers only ; 

 but must be owing to some venomous fluid which 

 they infuse, or which the wound imbibes from 

 them. " I can aver," says he, " that I have seen 

 them make a whole company hop about, as if 

 they had been scalded by boiling water/' 



The treatment of the wounds inflicted by all 

 the insect tribe which are venomous, requires 

 very little variation from that recommended for 

 the bite of the viper. Simple olive oil carefully 

 rubbed into the part affected, olive oil to which a 

 third part of liquid volatile alkali has been added, 

 equal parts of laudanum and volatile alkali, and 

 the volatile spirit of amber or eau du luce, have 

 each in their turn produced the best effect; or 

 where more than ordinary symptoms have occur- 

 red, the carbonate of ammonia and oil of amber 

 administered internally, as recommended in the 

 bite of the viper, have seldom failed to afford 

 relief. 



We come now to a description of a disease, the 

 most fatal and the most formidable of any to 

 which human nature is liable we allude to 

 Hydrophobia, as produced by the bite of a rabid 

 animal, most frequently the dog. It fortunately 

 however happens, that though we do not unfre- 



