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THE POISON OF THE TOAD.
673 crease of the Canadian
bacilli, still insanitary conditions act for their development. As regards man muckheap said to be in a state of unstable he be himself, may in a cholera equilibrium locality and cholera season, if he be a new comer and not indigenous to the soil, and this appears to apply to the late unfortunate occurrences in the warships off Bombay.
population was 30 5per cent. in the ten shape
years 1851-61, fell to 9’3 per cent. in 1861-71, and after an increase to 17’3 in 1871-81 fell again to 11 -5 per cent. in the intercensal period between 1881 and 1891.
Annotations.
comma
a
THE POISON OF THE TOAD.
11 Ne quid nimie."
THE CHOLERA.
of
especial y as
LOVERS of Shakespeare will be glad to see the credit of their favourite poet rehabilitated even in a small matter. The lines-
AT this season it may be pretty confidently predicted Toad that under the cold stone that there will be accounts of the prevalence of cholera Days and nights hath thirty-one, Sweated venom," somewhere in the East, either in the shape of an epidemic of have late or in the form of a severe local outbreak circumscribed as to years been looked upon as simply the exof a as its to the extent of its prevalence, and limited duration. pression popular prejudice current in Shakespeare’s but now of of had an each And we have recently these time, completely exploded. A correspondent of example Field that " Fleming, in his well-known the remarks In connexion with the Mecca forms of manifestation. pilgrimof British it was a veritable Animals, maintains that the toad epidemic. Upwards of 11,000 persons ’History age is destitute of any venomous quality, and is only are said to have died of the disease this summer, but at the present time cholera appears to have disappeared altogether despised, hated, and persecuted by the ignorant; and at Jeddah and Mecca. The occurrences on board H.M.S. he remarks that it is surprising that prejudices so Marathon and Redbreast may be taken, we trust, as a unjustifiable still continue to prevail." In two letters localised form of outbreak. According to the report from which appeared in THE LANCET of Aug. 29 bh a large the commander-in-chief of the station to the Lords of the amount of evidence is brought forward to show that Admiralty, cholera appeared on board these two ships at Shakespeare’s words, instead of being merely an expression Bombay on September llth. The cases were transferred of a mistaken popular idea, are really a most truthful deThe toad does secrete a venom of a to an Indian trooper, the Tenasserim, which has been scription of fact. utilised as a cholera hospital ship. The official report tolerably powerful character ; and instead of this secretion has been supplemented by later information received taking place, as in the case of snakes, entirely through the through Reuter, from which it would appear that up to salivary glands, it is actually secreted by the skin, so that Sept. 16th there have been thirty-five cases in all, and the word "sweated"" is most accurately descriptive. In eighteen deaths in H.M.S. Marathon and Redbreast, his interesting letter Dr. Leonard Guthrie mentions that and no fresh attack since the day preceding that date. the secretion also occurs in the toad through the parotid The town and harbour are stated to be free from cholera, glands, and that the venom is a thick milky fluid like the and no other vessels had been attacked. Occurrences juice of dandelion stalks in taste and appearance. When inof this kind are not without parallel in India. The oculated subcutaneously it kills small birds in six minutes, on a of the disease will attack march, and dogs and guinea-pigs in half an hour to an hour and a half; body troops of in a attain a maximum few days, and the symptoms in birds being loss of coordination followed prevalence in the of a week. by death, in guinea-pigs convulsions, and in the dog decourse totally disappear, perhaps From the published official record of fatal cases the stokers pression, vomiting, and intoxication. Dr. Guthrie describes appear to have suffered most. It would be very interesting two very interesting observations of his own on the effect of to learn whether the attacked men had been on shore, and toad’s venom. He kept a small toad in a cage with some to ascertain all the antecedent circumstances, and this common lizards, and one day a lizard, having bitten the will no doubt be done. Of course in so vast and difficult toad, immediately afterwards rushed wildly round the cage, a subject as that of cholera it is impossible to say much burrowing its head in the sand, became convulsed, and died within the limits of a brief article, but there are a few points in less than two minuter. His dog having seized a toad, was to which attention may be called. India is commonly spoken attacked by instantaneous and profuse salivation, violent of as the breeding ground of cholera, whence the cholera. vomiting, and collapse. He also noticed that the venom has a cause is conveyed and distributed all over the world. But it most powerful local action on the skin, so that after carrying would not be at all easy to justify that assumption by an a toad in his hand he got numbness and tingling in it, with appeal to the facts. Egypt, for instance, is about midway slight swelling and dryness of the skin lasting for several between India and the United Kingdom ; the Suez Canal hours. In another letter Dr. Lauder Brunton mentions forms the connecting channel ; it has existed now for a that the active principle of the toad venom is probably of number of years, and has been used for English ships and an alkaloidal nature. Ib has been called phrynin or bufidin. It appears to be a cardiac poison, acting in commerce out of all proportion to what it has .been by other nations. But there is no history of these steamers somewhat the same way as digitalis; but as Dr. and ships from India having been the cause of an epidemic Lauder Brunton points out, its effects appear to reof cholera in Egypt or in England, which is strange semble still more those of erythrophloeum, for the if the continental belief be correct-that cholera coulc uncertain gait, convulsions, and paralysis which it be "jugulated"" in the Suez Canal. It would be far more produces are precisely the symptoms produced by the to the purpose if we turned our attention in the direc erythrophloeum when used as an ordeal poison. Dr. tion of the pilgrims to Mecca. Mr. Sandwith’s article oi Guthrie’s observation of the local action of toad’s venom "Cholera in Egypt," published in our columns, givesa in causing numbness and tingling is interesting, as showsuccinct summary of the subject. What is wanted is a1 t ing that in its local ansesthetie action phrynin resembles adequate provision for, and a systematic application of, sani erythrophloeum and digitalis, and confirms the truth of the taryarrangementstothepilgrims. Apart from all controvers; r generalisation made by Dr. Lauder Brunton in THE LANCET of March 3rd, 1888, that all the drugs belonging to the as to the causes of cholera, we know that the determinin, ; b be and tha cause of an outbreak may group of so-called cardiac poisons may have a local ansessomething quite local, action. or cholera seeds in th 3thetic cholera if there be an exotic germ, ,
-
bacilli, still insanitary conditions act for their development. As regards man muckheap said to be in a state of unstable he be himself, may in a cholera equilibrium locality and cholera season, if he be a new comer and not indigenous to the soil, and this appears to apply to the late unfortunate occurrences in the warships off Bombay.
population was 30 5per cent. in the ten shape
years 1851-61, fell to 9’3 per cent. in 1861-71, and after an increase to 17’3 in 1871-81 fell again to 11 -5 per cent. in the intercensal period between 1881 and 1891.
Annotations.
comma
a
THE POISON OF THE TOAD.
11 Ne quid nimie."
THE CHOLERA.
of
especial y as
LOVERS of Shakespeare will be glad to see the credit of their favourite poet rehabilitated even in a small matter. The lines-
AT this season it may be pretty confidently predicted Toad that under the cold stone that there will be accounts of the prevalence of cholera Days and nights hath thirty-one, Sweated venom," somewhere in the East, either in the shape of an epidemic of have late or in the form of a severe local outbreak circumscribed as to years been looked upon as simply the exof a as its to the extent of its prevalence, and limited duration. pression popular prejudice current in Shakespeare’s but now of of had an each And we have recently these time, completely exploded. A correspondent of example Field that " Fleming, in his well-known the remarks In connexion with the Mecca forms of manifestation. pilgrimof British it was a veritable Animals, maintains that the toad epidemic. Upwards of 11,000 persons ’History age is destitute of any venomous quality, and is only are said to have died of the disease this summer, but at the present time cholera appears to have disappeared altogether despised, hated, and persecuted by the ignorant; and at Jeddah and Mecca. The occurrences on board H.M.S. he remarks that it is surprising that prejudices so Marathon and Redbreast may be taken, we trust, as a unjustifiable still continue to prevail." In two letters localised form of outbreak. According to the report from which appeared in THE LANCET of Aug. 29 bh a large the commander-in-chief of the station to the Lords of the amount of evidence is brought forward to show that Admiralty, cholera appeared on board these two ships at Shakespeare’s words, instead of being merely an expression Bombay on September llth. The cases were transferred of a mistaken popular idea, are really a most truthful deThe toad does secrete a venom of a to an Indian trooper, the Tenasserim, which has been scription of fact. utilised as a cholera hospital ship. The official report tolerably powerful character ; and instead of this secretion has been supplemented by later information received taking place, as in the case of snakes, entirely through the through Reuter, from which it would appear that up to salivary glands, it is actually secreted by the skin, so that Sept. 16th there have been thirty-five cases in all, and the word "sweated"" is most accurately descriptive. In eighteen deaths in H.M.S. Marathon and Redbreast, his interesting letter Dr. Leonard Guthrie mentions that and no fresh attack since the day preceding that date. the secretion also occurs in the toad through the parotid The town and harbour are stated to be free from cholera, glands, and that the venom is a thick milky fluid like the and no other vessels had been attacked. Occurrences juice of dandelion stalks in taste and appearance. When inof this kind are not without parallel in India. The oculated subcutaneously it kills small birds in six minutes, on a of the disease will attack march, and dogs and guinea-pigs in half an hour to an hour and a half; body troops of in a attain a maximum few days, and the symptoms in birds being loss of coordination followed prevalence in the of a week. by death, in guinea-pigs convulsions, and in the dog decourse totally disappear, perhaps From the published official record of fatal cases the stokers pression, vomiting, and intoxication. Dr. Guthrie describes appear to have suffered most. It would be very interesting two very interesting observations of his own on the effect of to learn whether the attacked men had been on shore, and toad’s venom. He kept a small toad in a cage with some to ascertain all the antecedent circumstances, and this common lizards, and one day a lizard, having bitten the will no doubt be done. Of course in so vast and difficult toad, immediately afterwards rushed wildly round the cage, a subject as that of cholera it is impossible to say much burrowing its head in the sand, became convulsed, and died within the limits of a brief article, but there are a few points in less than two minuter. His dog having seized a toad, was to which attention may be called. India is commonly spoken attacked by instantaneous and profuse salivation, violent of as the breeding ground of cholera, whence the cholera. vomiting, and collapse. He also noticed that the venom has a cause is conveyed and distributed all over the world. But it most powerful local action on the skin, so that after carrying would not be at all easy to justify that assumption by an a toad in his hand he got numbness and tingling in it, with appeal to the facts. Egypt, for instance, is about midway slight swelling and dryness of the skin lasting for several between India and the United Kingdom ; the Suez Canal hours. In another letter Dr. Lauder Brunton mentions forms the connecting channel ; it has existed now for a that the active principle of the toad venom is probably of number of years, and has been used for English ships and an alkaloidal nature. Ib has been called phrynin or bufidin. It appears to be a cardiac poison, acting in commerce out of all proportion to what it has .been by other nations. But there is no history of these steamers somewhat the same way as digitalis; but as Dr. and ships from India having been the cause of an epidemic Lauder Brunton points out, its effects appear to reof cholera in Egypt or in England, which is strange semble still more those of erythrophloeum, for the if the continental belief be correct-that cholera coulc uncertain gait, convulsions, and paralysis which it be "jugulated"" in the Suez Canal. It would be far more produces are precisely the symptoms produced by the to the purpose if we turned our attention in the direc erythrophloeum when used as an ordeal poison. Dr. tion of the pilgrims to Mecca. Mr. Sandwith’s article oi Guthrie’s observation of the local action of toad’s venom "Cholera in Egypt," published in our columns, givesa in causing numbness and tingling is interesting, as showsuccinct summary of the subject. What is wanted is a1 t ing that in its local ansesthetie action phrynin resembles adequate provision for, and a systematic application of, sani erythrophloeum and digitalis, and confirms the truth of the taryarrangementstothepilgrims. Apart from all controvers; r generalisation made by Dr. Lauder Brunton in THE LANCET of March 3rd, 1888, that all the drugs belonging to the as to the causes of cholera, we know that the determinin, ; b be and tha cause of an outbreak may group of so-called cardiac poisons may have a local ansessomething quite local, action. or cholera seeds in th 3thetic cholera if there be an exotic germ, ,
-