278 ON POISONOUS FISHES AND FISH-POISONS. 



the Royal Society of Edinburgh, is as rational as any. His theory is, that 

 the larger fishes of prey (among them he enumerates the barracouta) 

 became affected with the poisonous qualities of the yellow-tailed sprat when 

 it swallowed it, and thus the poison of the latter hecame incorporated or 

 assimilated with the substance of the former. 



With respect to the tests to be used to determine whether a fish is 

 noxious or innoxious, not one appears to be determined, so as to be 

 thoroughly relied on : all have proved fallacious. The only sure method 

 is that of giving the offal of the fish to some inferior animal, such as a 

 duck, fowl, &c, and observing its effects. The early and immediate 

 cleansing of the fish after its capture, and sprinkling it with salt, is consi- 

 dered the best precaution. 



For the remedies to be used in case of fish-poisoning, Dr Ferguson 

 recommends " sugar," as the only antidote established as deserving of 

 credit ! A good practice, however, is at once to give an emetic : sulphate 

 of zinc (or blue vitriol) is the best ; but rather, however, than lose any 

 time, the nearest emetic at hand shoidd be given. Cathartics should also 

 be administered freely. Sbmdd, however, the vomiting and purging be very 

 violent from the effects of the poison, the treatment must not be pursued — 

 but, on the contrary, anodynes must be administered. 



The effects of fish-poison are, extreme sickness at the stomach, gripings, 

 cold sweats, cutaneous eruptions, sometimes cholera morbus, leaving behind 

 a degree of paralysis. When the poison does not prove fatal, the patient is, 

 notwithstanding, long in recovering. The effects of fish-poison are frequently 

 obviated by taking freely of brandy, or any other ardent spirit ; but where 

 symptoms of empoisonment have already come on after the contents 

 of the stomach have been brought off by an emetic, recourse may be had to 

 strong cordials, — ginger-tea, brandy, with laudanum, Cayenne pepper made 

 into pills, &c. 



The Scorpsenas do not occur in Dr Burroughs' list among the fishes 

 reputed poisonous, — unless we consider his "grouper," to which he 

 gives the name of Perca venenosa, to be intended for the Scorpsena, which 

 our fishermen call the "poison-grouper." 



I doubt if any of the Scorpsenas be really poisonous. They may be 

 adventitiously injurious, from being out of condition ; but when we inquire 

 into the reason of their evil repute, we find that we are equally directed to 

 the puncture of their spines as the quality of their flesh. The particular 

 Scorpama known as the " crapaud de mer " in Martinique, as " rascacio " 

 in Havana, and as " rascasse vingt-quatre heures " in St Domingo, has an 

 especially bad reputation. Valenciennes, in his associated labours with 

 Cuvier, says of one species, in volume iv. of the History of Fishes, " on 

 redoute beaucoup les pigures des ses aiguillons ;" and of another, " les 

 pigures de leurs epines les rendent redoutables ;" the prick of their spines is 

 much dreaded ; — and then he adds, that a prejudice prevails against the 

 flesh as poisonous, mentioning, that because death is supposed to ensue in 

 the course of a day, one has received the name of " rascasse vingt-quatre 

 heures." As the rascacio of the Spaniards means nothing more than prick ly 



