261 
Sifting the published evidence, Prof. Riley, in his article on " Poi- 
sonous Insects,'* in Wood's Eeference Handbook of the Medical Sciences 
(vol. V, 1887), makes the following statements, after some little discus- 
sion of the characters and habits of the creatures considered : 
Scorpions. — * * * They are dangerous in proportion to their size, their age, 
and the state of irritation they may he in. Temperature also influences the venom. 
The wounds inflicted even by the largest species rarely prove fatal. ■ * * There 
is no doubt that the sting of certain kinds common in South America causes fever, 
numbness in various parts of the body, tumors on the tongue, and dimness of sight, 
which symptoms last from twenty-four to forty-eight hours. ' * * The effect of 
the sting upon a person diminishes in virulence with repetition, and may become 
innocuous. 
Centipedes. — * * * The effect of the bite of a centipede in warm climates is 
very variable ; sometimes excessively virulent and painful, at others causing little 
inconvenience. 
Tarantulas. — This popular term refers only to the large, hairy Theraphosids. 
* * * The bite of these spiders is quite painful, but not by any means as danger- 
ous as claimed. It produces a violent inflammation of short duration. Scars made 
by such bites are quite lasting, however, looking like those so frequently made during 
dissections. 
Recent correspondence with Mr. Herbert H. Smith, the well-known 
collector in South and Central America and the West Indies, and with 
Dr. Eugene Murray-Aaron, who has collected throughout the West 
Indies, has given us some facts which should be placed upon record, 
and which, while they negative popular ideas, substantiate the con- 
clusions arrived at by Prof. Riley, as above stated. 
Mr. Smith writes as follows: 
Scorpion stings are nearly always very painful; commonly there is great inflam- 
mation and swelling around the wound for two or three days, and occasionally this 
may extend so far as to be dangerous. My wife's uncle, a physician in Yucatan, 
was stung on one of the toes by a scorpion which had got into his shoe; the foot 
and leg inflamed so badly that he hiuiself had nearly decided on amputation of the 
foot ; he believed it would be necessary in order to save his life. However, the inrlam- 
mation finally subsided and he got well. I do not know what remedies he used, j 
have heard, from Brazilian physicians, of similar cases, but I do not know of any 
case of death from a scorpion sting. Probably death might result in some cases, as 
(if reports are true ) it does, rarely, from bee stings. I have never been stung by a 
scorpion. My wife was stung by a small one in the West Indies; the wound was 
on the end of the forefinger and was exceedingly painful. By the advice of a ser- 
vant, she held the finger for an hour in hot sweet oil mixed with an equal measure 
of laudanum. There was no swelling, and three hours after all pain had left her. 
This remedy is a popular one in the West Indies, and the result seems to show 
that it is good. Once when I was traveling with Mr. O. A. Derby, he was stung on 
the hand by a scorpion. The swelling lasted for three days, making the hand use- 
less and extending nearly to the elbow. He described the pain at first as terrible; 
he is a brave fellow, but I could see by his drawn face that he was Buffering 
severely. Some scorpions are much worse than others. The rather small, slender, 
pale-colored kinds have the worst reputation, and country people in Brazil say 
that tbe sting of the very large black kinds is not particularly painful. By the 
way, why are certain places nearly free from scorpions, while others are overrun by 
them? The worst metropolis of them that I ever saw was a valley in the Tierra 
Templada of Mexico, a beautiful place, well watered, surrounded bv forests, and 
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