78 ON THE POISONOUS FISHES 



sprat, to other fishes of the same size and genus, such as the 

 white sprat, which is always found in the same place, and may 

 be supposed to feed in the same way. 



The subject is of great importance, for no misfortune can be 

 conceived more terrible, even when death does not ensue, 

 than being served with this undistinguishable poison in the 

 shape of the edible fishes, the best and most delicious, as well 

 as the most common food by far, which the Caribbee islands 

 afford. Most pitiable cases were related to me in the French 

 settlements, by persons worthy of credit, where the patients, 

 after escaping with difficulty, from imminent death, suffered 

 during the rest of their lives all the miseries of exfoliation of 

 the bones with hideous ulcerations, or paralysis, and all its di- 

 stressing accompaniments ; and the same accounts are confirm- 

 ed by Dr Thomas, who practised long in the West India colo- 

 nies, in the 2d edition of his Practice of Physic. For these 

 secondary symptoms no adequate remedy could of course be 

 found ; but as an antidote to the poison, before it could have 

 time to operate in this baneful manner, there could be no 

 doubt of the astonishing efficacy of sugar, more particularly in 

 the form of the expressed cane juice. This fact was establish- 

 ed by a great body of evidence, and to my mind it in some 

 degree explained the curious circumstance of white guests ge- 

 nerally escaping better from the fish-poison than their black 

 domestics, at the same entertainment ; the former making 

 use of punch, sweet liqueurs, &c. which seldom fall to the lot 

 of the latter, for we had no clear proof of any spice or season- 

 ing, or vinous or spiritous liquor, that did not contain sugar, 

 possessing any efficacy as an antidote. 



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