Difficulties, and How to Overcome Them. 75 



violent effects. The sting of a bee is barbed at tlie 

 end, and consequently always left in the wound ; that 

 of a wasp is pointed only, so that they can sting more 

 than once, which a bee cannot do. When any 

 person is stung by a bee, let the sting, in the first 

 place, be instantly pulled out, for the longer it remains 

 in the wound the deeper it will pierce, owing to its 

 pecuHar form, and emit more of the poison. The 

 sting is hollow, and the poison flows through it, 

 which is the sole cause of the pain and inflammation. 

 The pulling out of the sting should be done carefully, 

 and with a steady hand ; for if any part of it breaks 

 in, all remedies then, in a great measure, will be 

 ineffectual. When the sting is extracted, suck the 

 wounded part, if possible, and very little inflammation, 

 if any, will ensue. If hartshorn drops are immedi- 

 ately afterwards rubbed on the part, the cure will be 

 more complete. All notions of the efficacy of sweet 

 oil, bruised parsley, burnet, tobacco, etc., appear, on 

 various trials, to be totally groundless. On some 

 people the sting of bees and wasps has no effect ; 

 it is therefore of little consequence what remedy 

 they apply to the wound. However, the effect 

 of stings greatly depends on the habit of body a 

 person is of ; at one time a sting may take little 

 or no effect, though no remedy is used, which at 

 another time may be very virulent on the same 

 person. " 



We have had occasion to test this remedy several 



