364 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
It was about 2 p.m. when I was stung, and I 
experienced no alleviation of the pain till 5. During 
all this time my sufferings were indescribable — I 
can only liken the pain to that of a hundred thou- 
sand nettle-stings. My feet and sometimes my 
hands trembled as though I had the palsy, and for 
some time the perspiration ran down my face from 
the pain. With difficulty I repressed a strong 
inclination to vomit. I took a dose of laudanum 
at 4, and I think this did more than anything to 
lull the pain. I had been stung on the two big 
toes and on the soles of my feet, but the stings 
that caused me most suffering were four close 
together among the fine veins below the left ankle. 
When the pain of all the others had subsided, this 
continued to torment me, and pains shot from it 
all over the forefoot and some way up the leg, not- 
withstanding the bandages. 
After the pain had become more bearable, it 
returned with great force on two occasions, at 
9 o'clock and at midnight, when I stepped out of my 
hammock on my left foot, and each time caused me 
an hour of acute suffering. Towards morning I 
slept, and when I woke up I felt no inconvenience 
beyond a slight numbness in the feet, but the 
inflammation continued unabated for thirty hours. 
It is curious that nothing was visible externally 
more than would be caused by the stinging of an 
ordinary nettle. Possibly swelling was prevented 
by the application of hartshorn and oil, for I have 
heard of cases where the swelling was considerable. 
Rubbing in the ingredients served to increase the 
pain both at the time and afterwards. 
My vasculum and one slipper were left on the 
