=Bites and Stings=
_Several Kinds of Mosquitoes--Cause of Yellow Fever--Bee, Wasp, and
Hornet Stings--Wood Ticks, Lice, and Fleas--Scorpions and
Centipedes--Poisonous Snakes--Dog and Cat Bites._
=MOSQUITOES.=--The female mosquito is the offender. During or after
sucking blood she injects a poison into the body which causes itching,
swelling, and, in some susceptible persons, considerable inflammation
of the skin. The bites of the mosquitoes living on the shores of the
Arctic Ocean and in the tropics are the most virulent. The most
important relation of mosquitoes to man was only recently discovered.
They are probably the sole cause of malaria and yellow fever in the
human being. The malarial parasite which lives in the blood of man,
when he is suffering from malaria, first inhabits the body of a
certain kind of mosquito. The mosquito acquires the undeveloped
parasite by biting the human malarial patient, and then acts as a
medium of infection by transmitting the active parasite to some
healthy man, through the bite.
The more common house mosquito, the Culex, does not carry the parasite
of malaria, and it is important to be able to distinguish the
Anopheles which is the source of malaria. The Anopheles is more common
in the country, while the Culex is a city pest. The Culex has very
short palpi, the name given to the projections parallel to the
proboscis; while those of Anopheles are so large that it appears to
have three probosces. There are no markings on the wings of the
ordinary species of Culex, while the wings of Anopheles are distinctly
mottled. The Culex, sitting on a wall or ceiling, holds its hind legs
above its back and its body nearly parallel to the wall or ceiling,
but the Anopheles carries its hind legs either against the wall or
hanging down (rarely above the back), and its body, instead of lying
parallel to the wall or ceiling, hangs away at an angle of about
forty-five degrees from it.
The Culex lays her eggs in sinks, tanks, cisterns, and water about
houses, but the Anopheles deposits her ova in shallow pools and
sluggish streams, especially those on which is a growth of green scum
or algae. Such are the main distinguishing features of the
malaria-carrying mosquito, the Anopheles, and the commoner house
variety, the Culex.
To prevent malaria, mosquito bites must be prevented by nettings in
houses, especially for the protection of sleepers. Pools, ponds, and
marshy districts must be drained in order to destroy the breeding
places of Anopheles, and in the malarial season, petroleum (kerosene)
must be poured on the surface of such waters to arrest the development
of the immature insects (larvae).
The mosquito is believed to be the sole cause of yellow fever, being
capable of communicating the germ of the disease to man by its bite
two weeks after it has itself been contaminated with the germ in
feeding on the blood of a yellow-fever patient. This invaluable
discovery was made by Dr. Walter Reed, U. S. A., in 1901, as a result
of his labors and those of other members of the yellow-fever
commission of the U. S. Army in Cuba, involving the death of one of
the members of the commission (Dr. Lazear), and utilizing the heroism
of a number of our young soldiers who voluntarily offered themselves
to be bitten by mosquitoes that had previously bitten yellow-fever
patients, and who experimentally occupied premises containing all
sorts of articles infected by yellow-fever patients. The result of
their research proves that yellow fever is not contagious at all, in
the usual sense, but is communicated only through the medium of
mosquitoes. This shows the fallacy of many quarantine rules regarding
yellow-fever patients, and of the fear of nursing the sick, and will
result in controlling the disease.
In the case of malaria or yellow fever, there is a vicious circle into
which man and the mosquito enter; malaria and yellow-fever patients
contaminate the mosquitoes which bite them, and the mosquitoes in
their turn infect man with these diseases. A patient with malaria
coming into a nonmalarial place, and being bitten by mosquitoes, may
lead to an epidemic of the disorder which becomes endemic. To
terminate this condition, it is necessary to prevent the contact of
man with mosquitoes and to kill these insects. Both malaria and
yellow fever will doubtless be practically eradicated before long
through the result of these scientific discoveries.
=Treatment of Mosquito Bites.=--To prevent mosquitoes, fleas, lice,
horseflies, etc., from biting, it is necessary merely to dip the clean
hands into a pail of water in which, while hot, one ounce of pure
carbolic acid was dissolved, and while they are thus wet rub the
solution over all the exposed skin and allow it to dry naturally. A
mixture of kerosene (petroleum) and water used in the same way will
also afford protection. All poisons introduced into the body by
insects are of an acid nature, and to this quality are due the pain
and irritation which it is our object to overcome. The best remedy,
naturally, is an alkali of some sort. Water of ammonia, diluted, or a
strong solution of saleratus or baking soda in water, are the two most
successful remedies to apply, either through bathing, or on cloths
saturated in one of the solutions. Clean clay, mixed with water to
make a mud poultice, is a useful application in emergencies.
=BEE, WASP, AND HORNET STINGS.=--The pain and swelling are produced by
the poison of the insect which leaves the poison bag at the base of
the barb at the instant that the person is stung. The bee stings but
once, as the sting being barbed is broken off, and is retained in the
flesh of the victim. The sting of the wasp and hornet is merely
pointed, and is not lost during the stinging process so that they can
repeat the act. Bee keepers, after being stung a number of times,
usually become immune, i. e., they are no longer poisoned by bites of
these insects.
It is well to extract the sting of bees before all of the poison has
come away. A fine pair of forceps is useful for this purpose; or, by
pressing the hollow tube of a small key directly down over the
puncture made by the sting, it may be squeezed out.
Ammonia water, as recommended for mosquitoes, is the best remedy to
relieve the pain.
=WOOD TICKS.=--Ticks inhabit the woods and bushes throughout the
temperate zone, and at certain periods during the summer season attack
passing men and animals.
The common tick is nearly circular in shape, very flat, with a dark,
brown, horny body about one-sixteenth to one-eighth inch in diameter.
Each of its eight legs possesses two claws, and the proboscis incloses
feelers which are similarly armed. The beetle plunges its barbed
proboscis into the flesh of man or animals, and holds on very firmly
with its other members till it is gorged with blood, growing as large
as a good-sized bean, when it drops off. The bite is painless, and it
is not until the insect is engorged with blood that it is perceptible;
if, however, attempts are made to remove the tick before it is ready
to let go, the proboscis may be torn off and left in the skin, when
painful local suppuration will follow.
=Treatment.=--As the presence of tick is far from agreeable, the
insect may often be removed by painting it with turpentine, which
either kills it or causes the claws to be relaxed; in either case the
tick loosens its hold and drops to the ground. A tropical variety,
carapato, buries the whole head in the flesh of its host before it is
perceived, and if turpentine does not loosen its hold, the head must
be dug out with a clean needle or knife blade.
=LICE= (_Pediculi_).--Head lice are most common. They are gray with
black margins, about one-twenty-fifth to one-twelfth inch long, and
wingless. The color changes with the host, as the lice are black on
the negro, and white in the case of the Eskimos. The female lays fifty
to sixty eggs ("nits"), seen as minute, white specks glued to the side
of a hair; usually not more than one or two on a single hair. The eggs
hatch in six days.
The irritation produced by the presence of the parasites on the head
leads to general itching, more particularly on the lower part of the
back of the head. The constant scratching starts an inflammation of
the skin with the formation of pimples, weeping spots, and crusts,
from the dried discharge, possessing a bad odor. The denuded spots
becoming infected, the neighboring glands enlarge and are felt as
tender lumps beneath the skin at the back of the neck, under the jaw,
or at either side of the neck. Whenever there are persistent itching
and irritation of the scalp, particularly at the back of the head,
lice or "nits" should be sought for. Sometimes it is more easy to find
them on a fine-tooth comb passed through the hair. Lice are very
common in dirty households, and are occasionally seen on the most
fastidious persons, who accidentally acquire them in public places or
conveyances.
=Treatment.=--The hair should be cut short when permissible. Any
crusts on the head should be softened by the application of sweet oil,
and then removed by washing in soap and warm water. Petroleum or
kerosene is a good remedy. It must be rubbed on the head two
successive nights, the head being covered by a cap, and washed off
each morning with hot water and soap. The patient must be cautioned
not to approach an open flame after kerosene has been put on his head.
The eggs or "nits" are next to be attacked with vinegar, which is
sponged on the hair and the fine-tooth comb plied daily for a week.
The remaining irritation of the scalp can be cured by washing the head
daily and applying sweet oil.
A simpler plan consists of drenching hair and scalp twice with cold
infusion of (poisonous) larkspur seed, made by steeping for an hour an
ounce of the seed in six ounces of hot water.
This treatment will destroy both insects and eggs. After twenty-four
hours the hair and scalp must be shampooed with warm water thoroughly.
=CLOTHES LICE.=--These insects are a trifle larger than the head lice,
being one-twelfth to one-eighth inch long, of a dirty, yellowish-gray
color, and only infesting the most filthy people. The lice are
generally only seen on the clothes, where they live, coming out on the
body only to feed. The visible signs on the body are varying degrees
of irritation from redness to ulceration, due to scratching. The
treatment is simply cleanliness of the body and clothes.
=CRAB LICE.=--The crab louse or "crab" inhabits the skin covered by
hair about and above the sexual organs most frequently, and from
thence spreads to the hairy region on the abdomen, chest, armpits,
beard, and eye lashes. Itching and scratching first call attention to
the presence of the parasites, which are even more troublesome than
the other species.
Application of kerosene to the part is sufficient to kill the lice,
but this treatment must be repeated several times at intervals of a
week, in order to kill the parasites subsequently hatched.
=FLEA.=--Flea bites are recognized by the itching caused by the poison
introduced by the insect, and by points of dried blood surrounded for
a little while by a red zone. In the case of children and people with
delicate skins, red or white lumps appear resembling nettlerash.
Generally the skin is simply covered with minute, red points, perhaps
raised a little by swelling above the surface, and when very numerous
may remotely resemble the rash of measles. Fleas, unlike lice, do not
breed on the body, but as soon as they are satiated leave their host.
Their eggs are laid in cracks in floors, on dirty clothes and similar
spots, and it is only the mature flea which preys upon man. The human
flea may infest the dog and return to man, but the dog flea is a
distinct species, and never remains permanently on the human host. For
these reasons it is not difficult to get rid of fleas after they have
attacked the body, unless continually surrounded by them.
=JIGGER OR SAND FLEA.=--Also called chique, chigo, and nigua. It is
common in Cuba, Porto Rico, and Brazil. About one-half the size of the
ordinary flea, it is of a brownish-red color with a white spot on the
back. The female lives in the sand and attacks man, on whom she lives,
boring into the skin about the toe nail, usually, and laying her eggs
under the skin, which gives rise to itching at first and then violent
pain. The insect sucks blood and grows as it gorges itself, producing
a white swelling of the skin in the center of which is seen a black
spot, the front part of the flea. The flea after expelling its eggs
drops off and dies. People with habitually sweaty feet are exempt from
attacks of the pest.
Unless the flea is unattached, one must either wait until the insect
comes away of its own free will, or remove it with a red-hot needle in
order to destroy the eggs. The negroes peel the skin from the swelling
with a needle and squeeze out the eggs. Ordinarily the bites do no
permanent injury, but occasionally if numerous, or if the insect is
pressed into the skin in the efforts to remove it, or if sores
resulting from bites are neglected, then violent inflammation, great
pain, and even death of the part may result. Sound shoes and a night
and morning inspection of the feet will protect against the inroads of
the sand fleas.
=FLIES.=--The common housefly does not bite, but is constantly
inimical to human health by conveying disease germs of typhoid fever,
cholera, and other disorders from bowel discharges of patients
suffering from these diseases to articles of food on which the insects
light. Flies have been a fruitful source of sickness in military
camps, as evidenced in the recent Spanish-American and Anglo-African
campaigns. The bites of the sandfly, gadfly, and horsefly may be both
relieved and prevented by the same means recommended in the case of
mosquitoes for these purposes.
=SCORPION OR CENTIPEDE STING.=
_First Aid Rule.--Squeeze lemon juice on wound._
=SPIDER OR TARANTULA BITE.=
_First Aid Rule.--Pour water of ammonia on bite. If patient is
depressed, give strong coffee._
=SCORPIONS AND CENTIPEDES.=--These both inhabit the tropics and
semitropical regions, and lurk in dark corners and out-of-the-way
places, crawling into the boots and clothing during the night.
Scorpions sting with their tails, which are brought over the head and
back for the purpose, while holding on to the victim with their
lobsterlike claws. The poisonous centipede has a flattened
brownish-yellow body, with a single pair of short legs for each body
segment, and long, many-jointed antennae.
The wounds made by either of these pests are rarely dangerous, except
in young children and those in feeble health. The stings are usually
relieved by bathing with a two per cent solution of carbolic acid,
with rum, or with lemon juice.
=SPIDERS.=--Many of the tropical spiders bite the human being.
Trapdoor spiders are among the commonest of these pests. Their bodies
grow to great size, two to two and a half inches long, and are covered
with hair giving them a horrid appearance. They live in holes bored in
the ground, and provided with a trapdoor contrivance which is closed
when the insect is at home.
The trapdoor spider resembles the tarantula, by which name it is
usually known in Cuba and Jamaica, but is somewhat smaller and
commoner. Neither the stings of the trapdoor spider nor true tarantula
are usually dangerous although the wounds caused by the bites may heal
slowly.
Application of water of ammonia and of the other remedies recommended
for mosquito bites (p. 158) are indicated here, and if the patient is
generally depressed by the poison, strong coffee forms a good
antidote.
=SNAKE BITE.=
_First Aid Rule 1.--Make the wound bleed. Cut slit through the wound,
lengthwise of limb, two inches long and half an inch deep. Squeeze
tissues._ DO NOT SUCK THE WOUND.
_Rule 2.--Keep poison out of general circulation. Tie large cord or
bandage tightly about part between wound and heart. Loosen in fifteen
minutes._
_Rule 3.--Use antidote. Wash wound and cut with fresh solution of
chloride of lime (one part to sixty parts of water). Inject
anti-venene with hypodermic syringe, ten cubic centimeters, as on
label. Or, inject with hypodermic syringe thirty minims of solution of
permanganate of potash (five grains to two ounces of water), three
times in different places. If no syringe at hand, pour permanganate
solution into wound._
_Rule 4.--Support heart if weak. Inject with hypodermic syringe
one-thirtieth grain of sulphate of strychnine into leg. Repeat as
needed every thirty minutes with caution._
_Rule 5.--Give no whisky or other liquor. Do not burn the wound._
=SNAKE BITE.=--There are many different species of poisonous snakes in
the United States. The more common are the rattlesnake, the moccasin,
the copperhead, and the common viper.
All the venomous snakes have certain characteristics by which they may
be distinguished from their harmless brethren. The head is generally
broad and flat and of a triangular shape, the wide, heavy jaws
tapering to a point at the lips. There is a depression or pit between
the nostril and eye on the upper lip, hence the name "pit vipers"
given to poisonous snakes. The pupil of the eye is long and vertical,
of an oval or elliptical shape.
Venomous snakes are thicker in proportion to their length than
harmless snakes, the surface of their bodies is rougher, and their
tails are blunt or club-shaped. Conversely, harmless snakes possess
long narrow heads, the pupils of their eyes are round, not vertical
slits, and their bodies are not thick for their length, but long and
slim with pointed tails. The bite of vipers of all kinds is much more
poisonous in tropical regions, and in the North fatal snake bite is a
rare occurrence.
If there is a doubt whether a snake is poisonous, the neck may be
pressed down against the ground between the jaws of a forked stick,
and the poison fangs looked for without danger. These hang directly
down from the front part of the upper jaw, or are thrust horizontally
forward just in front of the upper lip, and may drip saliva and venom.
In Cuba and Porto Rico there is a viper called Juba, or Boaquira,
which is a counterpart of the Northern rattlesnake, and the most
poisonous of the many species in that region. Among venomous species
of the Philippines are two boas and also a viper from nine to ten feet
long, which exceptionally pursues and attacks man. This snake is
easily killed by a blow on the neck. Another small viper with a
club-shaped tail, inhabiting these islands, is nocturnal in its
habits, and may get into boots at night. Boots, therefore, should
always be inspected before one puts them on in the morning.
Usually it is only the young, old, and weak who succumb to snake bite.
=Symptoms.=--The symptoms of snake bite of all poisonous species are
similar. At first there is some pain in the wound, which rapidly
increases together with swelling and discoloration until death of the
part may ensue. The vital centers in the brain controlling the heart
and breathing apparatus, are paralyzed by the poison. There is often
drowsiness and stupor, and the breathing is labored and the pulse weak
and irregular, with faintness and cold sweats.
=Treatment.=--The treatment consists first in keeping the poison out
of the general blood stream. With this purpose in view a handkerchief,
piece of cotton clothing, string, or strap should be immediately wound
about the bitten limb above the wound, between it and the heart. This
will retard absorption of the poison only for a time; it is said
twenty-five minutes. The knife is the most effective means of removing
the poison by making an oval cut on each side of the wound so that the
two incisions meet and remove all the flesh below and around the
wound. Bleeding should be encouraged to drain out the poison. The skin
containing the wound may be lifted up, and the whole wound cut out by
one snip of the scissors where this is practicable.
Some advocate burning out the wound with a red-hot wire, or darning
needle, instead of cutting, but the treatment is less effective and
more painful. Rambaud forbids burning. As to the general condition: if
stupor is a prominent symptom the patient must be made to move about
and exercise to keep alive his nerve centers. Otherwise one
tablespoonful of whisky may be given in half a cup of hot water
hourly, to sustain the weakened heart and respiration until recovery
ensues.
The most effective treatment, according to Dr. George Rambaud,
Director of the Pasteur Institute of New York City, is thorough
washing of the wound (after it has been opened with the knife) with
freshly prepared solution of chloride of lime, in the proportion of
one part of lime to sixty of water. The burning of a wound is bad
practice. If necessary, chloride-of-lime solution should be injected
into the tissues around the wound. One about to go into a place where
the most venomous snakes are found should inject into himself a dose
of Calmette's antivenomous serum every two or three weeks as a means
of prevention. If the serum is used, whisky should not be given in the
treatment of one who has been bitten, for the anti-venene is a
powerful cell stimulator.
Calmette, the Director of the Pasteur Institute in Lille, France,
several years ago discovered antivenomous serum. That serum is
efficient for the bites of most of the venomous snakes of different
countries, including the rattlesnake, cobra, python, etc.
It is prepared in the dry form so that it can be carried easily, and
will keep almost indefinitely. The proper course to be followed by
persons going into countries infested by venomous snakes is always to
have on hand a few doses of it. Its value has been positively
demonstrated within the last few years in India, where it is used in
the British Army, as well as in other countries.
In the fluid form it should be used hypodermically, a dose of ten
cubic centimeters being injected within eighty or ninety minutes of
the reception of the poison.
=DOG BITE OR CAT BITE.= (See Hydrophobia, Vol. V, p. 264.)
_First Aid Rule 1.--Make sure animal is mad. Send patient to Pasteur
institute if one is within reach._
_Rule 2.--Remove poison from wound. Encourage bleeding by squeezing
tissue about wound. Suck wound, if you have no cracks in lips, and
spit out fluid. Pour hot carbolic solution into wound (a third of a
teaspoonful of carbolic acid to a pint of hot water)._
_Rule 3.--Cauterize. Dip wooden meat skewer, or lead pencil, into pure
nitric acid, and rub into wound. Or, use red-hot poker, or red-hot
nail grasped by tongs or pincers, or red coal from fire._
_Rule 4.--Do not kill the animal. If he is alive and well at the end
of a week, he was not mad._