180 PHYTOTOXINS AND ZOO TOXINS 



be the chief cause of death (Cavorez). Thompson, 1 however, 

 observed only seldom severe symptoms, consisting of general 

 paralysis that passed off in a few hours. Most experimenters 

 with scorpion poison describe it as chiefly a nerve-tissue poison, 

 but it also seems to act as a hemolysin and agglutinin (Bellesme 

 and Sanarelli). Calmette 2 gives the lethal dose for a guinea-pig 

 as 0.5 milligram, while Phisalix and Varigny put it at 0.1 

 milligram and state that scorpion blood is also poisonous. 

 Wilson 3 found its toxicity equal to 0.1 gram per million, that 

 is, one gram of poison will kill 10,000,000 grams of guinea- 

 pig, hence it is much stronger than cobra venom. The average 

 amount of toxin in an Egyptian scorpion (Buthus quinque- 

 striatus] is sufficient to kill about 35 kilos, which agrees with 

 the fact that fatal poisoning by this scorpion is rare in adults, 

 but reaches 60 per cent, in children. The venom is harmless 

 when taken into the stomach, and is said to be made inactive 

 by ammonia, calcium hypochlorite, and peroxide of hydrogen. 

 Calmette claims that antivenin for cobra in part neutralizes 

 scorpion poison. A large number of naturalists and raconteurs 

 have furnished interesting tales of suicide by scorpions, which 

 are more than improbable in the light of our present knowledge 

 concerning natural immunity. 



SPIDER POISON 



The poison apparatus of the spiders consists of two long 

 pouches lying in the thorax and extending into the jaws, at the 

 apex of which the poison is discharged. Some of the larger 

 members of the family are very poisonous, e. g. y the Malmi- 

 gnatte (Lathrodectes tredecimguttatas), of the vicinity of the lower 

 Volga in southern Russia, is said to have destroyed 70,000 

 cattle in one t year, the bite being fatal in 12 per cent, of all 

 cases, although rarely killing man. Other members of this 

 species in Chili, Madagascar, and other countries are not much 

 less venomous. Robert has studied the poison of Malmignatte 

 and found it distributed throughout the body of the spider, 

 even in the eggs, and resembling in nature the snake venoms. 

 It is destroyed by heating, and seems to be of proteid nature ; 

 the chief effect is upon the nervous system and heart. 



A number of common spiders investigated by Kobert 4 were 



1 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. of Philadelphia, 1886, p. 299. 



2 Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 1895 (9), 232. 



3 Kecords of Egyptian Gov't., School of Med., 1904 ; abst. in Jour, of 

 Physiol., 1904 (31), p. xlviii. 



" Beitriige zur Kentnisse der Giftspinnen," Stuttgart, 1901. 



