parts of the shaft where they come together above the pouch, 

 thereby ensuring free and easy movement over the long contiguous 

 shding surfaces. 



(3) The Poison Supply. Capable though this complicated 

 weapon appears to be in its design to inflict a cruel wound, yet so far 

 as human flesh is concerned the mechanical incision of a sharp 

 point a tiny fraction of an inch into the skin is insufficient to cause 

 more discomfort that a light prick. The painful and unpleasant 

 a;fter effects are due to the poison which is rapidly pumped in as long 

 as the sting remains ensconced in the wound. This is the reason 

 why the sting should be removed as soon as possible afterwards, 

 and not allowed to remain there a second longer than necessary. 



The source of venom originates from two organs known as the 

 acid and alkaline glands respectively, which manufacture venom from 

 the blood. The acid gland feeds into the conspicuous poison sac, 

 which acts as a reservoir to hold a large supply for use when required, 

 the mouth opening direct into the pouch from whence it is pumped 

 as already described. The acid gland itself consists of a thin tube 

 which just before it feeds into the poison sac divides into two parts, 

 the ends of which terminate in a -well defined lobe (Fig. 1). It must 

 be remembered, of course, that all these parts as well as the structure 

 of the sting itself are all minutely small and a microscope of ap- 

 preciable magnifying power is required to study all the finer details. 

 In the case of these tubules forming the acid gland, careful dissection 

 shows them to be of great length. They intertwine around the 

 intestinal organs, and even embrace the outside of the stomach. 

 In the case of the worker, this gland is actually \\ inches in length, 

 and in appearance is like a fine white thread. The same gland in 

 the queen is as much as 1^- inches long. 



The other gland secretes a Uquid which is alkaline in its reaction, 

 and its shape is quite different. It is comparatively short and takes 

 the form of an opaque white tube with slight surface corrugations, 

 and it feeds direct into the pouch. 



The presence of the third set of glands should not be forgotten. 

 These are the lubricating glands already mentioned, which consist 

 of small oblong white cells lying against the quadrant lever plates 

 for manipulating the curved arms at the base of the sting shaft. 

 Their secretion is poured upon these plates and from these it finds 

 its way down into the grooves between the sheath and lancets. 

 Thus the ingredients of all three sets of glands uhimately merge into 

 the venom which is emitted from the bee's sting. 



The composition of this venom, so powerful in its action, con- 

 tains a number of highly complex ingredients the true nature of which 

 still remains to be definitely established. Members of the medical 

 and nursing professions who wish to study bee venom and its treat- 

 ment in greater detail are referred to F. Thompson's account* 



^F. Thompson. " About Bee Venom," The Lancet, August, 1933. 



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