VENOMOUS ANIMALS
“Among venomous animals there are some whose poisoned weapon has no
other purpose than to serve as a means of defense. Such is the bee, the
worker in honey of our hives; such also is the burly, hairy bumblebee,
which also gathers a store of honey, but keeps it underground in rude
little pots of wax. Let us not molest them at their task, either
intentionally or otherwise, and they will not molest us. If we irritate
them, they straightway draw on the aggressor and stab him with their
venomous dagger. This weapon they carry for defense, not for attack.
“But there are other and more redoubtable creatures that use their
venom for killing quickly, and without any dangerous struggle on the
victim’s part, the prey on which they feed. Of course the offensive
weapon is capable of becoming also a defensive one in moments of peril:
that which serves to kill the prey serves likewise to repel the enemy.
Among animals making this double use of their venomous weapon, first
for attack and then for defense, let us note the scorpion and the
viper.
“The scorpion is a hideous creature and of interest to us solely on
account of its sting. It has a flattened stomach, dragging on the
ground, and no distinct head. In reality it has a head, but so little
differentiated from the rest of its body as to give a truncated
appearance to the whole. On each side are four feeble legs, and in
front a big pair of nippers like those of the crab. Behind is a sort of
jointed tail, the terminal joint of which, more swollen than the
others, serves as reservoir for the venom. It ends in a hook, very
sharp and with a microscopic perforation at the point, from which the
venomous fluid escapes at the instant of attack.
“In this jointed tail with its terminal sting you behold the scorpion’s
implement of the chase, a terrible weapon which kills immediately, at
one stroke, any small game the animal may have seized. It is carried
bent over on the back, ready to inflict its deadly wound in front or
behind with the suddenness of a released spring. The two-jawed nippers,
of which only one jaw moves, are harmless despite their menacing
appearance. They are a sort of tongs used by the animal to hold within
reach and prevent from escaping the prey it is about to sting.
“The scorpion is carnivorous, feeding on all game adapted to its size,
such as wood-lice, insects, spiders. Endowed with but little agility,
it leaves its lair by night and under cover of the darkness hunts its
sleeping prey. Let us suppose it to chance upon a big spider. That is
indeed a succulent morsel, but its capture involves danger, for the
spider on its side is armed with two venomous fangs in its mouth. Being
both thus equipped with deadly weapons, which of the two will succumb?
It will be the spider.
“The scorpion seizes it with its two nippers and holds the victim far
enough away to avoid the risk of a bite. Then the coiled tail quickly
straightens out over the scorpion and proceeds to inflict a sting on
the helpless captive. It is all over. The stricken prey gives a
momentary shudder in its death agony and then collapses, lifeless. The
huntsman can now feast on his victim at leisure and in perfect
security.
“We have in France, in the southern departments, two species of
scorpions, of which the smaller and more common is of a greenish black.
Its customary haunt is under the stones at the base of old walls, the
favorite lurking-place of the wood-louse and the spider; but it also
very often finds its way into human habitations, where it hides in dark
corners. In rainy weather it snuggles under the linen laid away in
cupboards, and even creeps under the bedclothes. Not a pleasant
experience is it to find this baneful intruder, some fine morning, in
the foot of one’s stocking. One shakes out the frightful creature and
treads it under foot. If it has stung you, the pain is no joke, though
not seriously dangerous.
“The other species, much larger and far more to be dreaded, is found
almost exclusively in Languedoc and Provence. It is straw-color in hue
and inhabits sandy hillocks where the sun beats down with the fiercest
heat. There, under some large stone, it digs itself a den, a spacious
retreat, whence it issues only by night in quest of something to eat.
It is never known to intrude into houses, nor does it ever leave the
warmth of its desert solitudes. Unless you disturb it by lifting up the
flat stone that roofs its abode, you run no risk of encountering the
sting; but woe to the reckless one who should rashly venture to rummage
in that retreat. The creature’s sting is sometimes deadly, they say.
“The viper makes its home, by preference, on some warm and stony
hillside, where it lurks under the stones and in the tangled
underbrush. Its color is brown or reddish, with a darker zigzag stripe
on the back and a row of spots on each side. Its belly is of a gray
slate-color, and its head, larger than the neck, is blunted as if cut
off in front.
“It is an extremely timid creature and never attacks man except in
self-defense. Its movements are brusque, irregular, and heavy. Like all
serpents it feeds on live prey, especially insects and small
field-rats. To capture these quickly and to deprive them of the power
to defend themselves, the viper first inflicts a venomous wound, as
does the scorpion.
“All serpents dart out and in between their lips, with extreme
velocity, a black, thread-like member, forked at the end and of great
flexibility. Many persons take this to be the reptile’s sting, though
in reality it is nothing but its tongue, a tongue void of offense and
used by its possessor to snap up insects and also to express, in the
snake’s peculiar manner, by quickly passing out and in between the
lips, the passions that agitate the creature. All serpents have this
sort of tongue, but in these regions it is only the viper that
possesses the terrible weapon for inflicting venomous wounds.
“This consists, first, of two fangs, or long, sharp teeth, situated in
the upper jaw. These curved teeth are movable, starting up for attack,
at the reptile’s will, or lying down in a groove of the gum and
remaining there as inoffensive as a stiletto in its sheath. Thus the
risk of a self-inflicted wound is avoided. These fangs are each pierced
from end to end with a narrow channel having at the tooth’s point a
minute opening through which the venom is discharged into the wound.
Finally, at the base of each fang is a tiny sac filled with venomous
liquid. As with the bee and the scorpion, this liquid is harmless in
appearance, free from odor, and without taste—little else than water,
one would say. When the viper attacks with its fangs, the venom-sac
presses a drop of its contents into the dental canal and the terrible
liquid passes into the wound. In short, the whole operation exactly
corresponds to the similar procedure I have described in speaking of
the bee’s sting.
“Let us suppose you are so imprudent as to disturb the reptile as it
lies asleep in the sun. Immediately the creature uncoils itself and,
with jaws wide open, smites your hand. It is all over in a twinkling.
Then, with the same rapidity, the viper recoils itself and settles back
again, continuing to threaten you, with its head once more the center
of the spiral coil.
“You do not wait for a second attack; you beat a hasty retreat; but,
alas, the harm is done. On your wounded hand you discover two tiny red
spots, apparently of little more significance than the sting of a bee.
No cause for alarm, you say to yourself if you are unacquainted with
the effects of such a wound. But it is a false reassurance.
“Presently the red spots are encircled with a zone of livid hue. With a
dull sensation of pain the hand becomes swollen, and gradually the
swelling extends to the entire arm. Before long there follow cold
sweats and a feeling of nausea, breathing is rendered difficult, vision
is clouded, the intellect is torpid, and unless timely aid is rendered
death may be the sequel.
“What is to be done in the face of such danger? One must press tightly
or even bind fast the finger, the hand, the arm, above the wound, in
order to prevent the passage of the venom into the blood. The wound
must be made to bleed by the exercise of pressure all around it; it
must be energetically sucked to draw out the venomous liquid. I have
explained to you in speaking of the bee, and I now repeat it, that
venom is not a poison. It will not act, however powerful it be, unless
it mixes with the blood. Sucking it, therefore, is without danger if
the lining of the mouth is intact.
“It is plain that if, by energetic suction and by pressing until the
blood flows, we succeed in extracting all the venom from the wound, the
latter will henceforth be of no serious importance. For greater
security, as soon as possible the wound should be cauterized with a
corrosive fluid, such as ammonia or nitric acid, or even with a red-hot
iron. Cauterization acts in such a manner as to destroy the venomous
matter. It is painful, I admit, but one must submit to that in order to
escape something worse.
“Cauterization falls within the physician’s province; but the
preliminary precautions—ligature to stop the spread of the venom,
pressure to make the envenomed blood flow, and suction to extract the
venomous liquid—are matters for our personal attention; and all this
should be taken in hand immediately, since the longer the delay the
more serious the case becomes. When these precautions are taken it is
very seldom that the viper’s bite has fatal consequences.”