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Under these circumstances any well-autbenticated case of poisoning 

 is of value, and we place the following facts ou record for what they are 

 worth : 



In January, 1886, we received for identification from Col. Thomas B. 

 Keogh, of Greensborough, X. C, a specimen of the common Latrodectus 

 mactans, a rather large brown spider, with a red spot on its abdomen, 

 with the accompanying statement that a specimen of the same species 

 had killed a man at Greensborough. Wfe i)ublish our reply in full, as it 

 drew out the interesting statement which follows: 



Your letter of the 7tb. iustant, with specimens of spider supposed to be identical 

 ^ith a species which has fatally bitten a man in your neighborhood, came safely to 

 hand. I am glad to get this specimen, the habits of which you so accurately de- 

 scribe, and am much interested in the instance which you report. Such instances 

 have been placed upon record in several papers, but there has been so far no accurate 

 scientific evidence of the power of this insect to inflict a fatal wound. For this rea- 

 son I should be very glad to hear from you of the circumstances connected with this 

 instance. In the first place, are you certain that the spider which bit the man be- 

 longed to this species (the scientific name of the spider is Latrodectus mactans, but it 

 has no common name) J (2) Was the spider seen to inflict the wound or was it found 

 upon the wound immediately afterward f (3) How long did the man survive the 

 bite? (4) Was the wound a punctured one, and how large w^as the orifice? (5) 

 What were the symptoms, aside from the spasms which you mention ; what was the 

 character of the swelling? (6) Was the man healthy and strong, and what was his 

 susceptibility with regard to other poisons, as the Poison Ivy, for instance ? (7) At 

 what time of the year did this occur, and what was the man doing when bitten ; was 

 ho in a profuse perspiration or not ? 



The answers to all these questions bear upon the interest attached to it, and you 

 will greatly oblige me by answering them as fully and as accurately as possible. Our 

 best arachnologists would deny the possibility of a fatal bite from these spiders were 

 it not rendered uncertain by such positive accounts as these of yours. In view of this 

 fact the importance of accurate investigation will be readily seen by you. We pi'o- 

 pose, as soon as opportunity offers, to experiment as to the poison of this and several 

 allied spiders upon rabbits, and thus to approximate a solution of the question. 



On receiving this letter, Colonel Keogh handed it to Mr. John M. Dick, 



who was the employer of the man in question, and whom Colonel Keogh 



states to be a'' very intelligent and well-informed young farmer,'' who 



resides about half a mile from Greensborough. Mr. Dick's statement 



is as follows : 



In reply to your questions, asked Colonel Keogh in your letter of January 11, I will 

 make the following statements : 



(1) No one was with the man when he was bitten. All we kuow is his own state- 

 ment. He said he felt something crawling on his neck ; as he brushed it off it stung 

 or bit him very severely. As the pain was very great., he looked to see what had 

 caused it. He described the insect as a black spider with a red spot on it. 



(2) He was bitten about 8.30 o'clock a. m. and died betVeen 10 and 11 o'clock p. m., 

 about fourteen hours intervening. 



(3) I examined his neck and found about ten little white pimples, all of which could 

 be covered with a one-dollar silver coin. I saw no puncture of any kind. 



(4) There was no swelling at all, but his neck and left breast and arm became very 

 hard, so much so that I could not make an itnpiession in the flesh with my thumb. 



(5) The man had been living with me for nine years, and was perfectly healthy. 

 Had no disease. 



