No. 1. Oil the 17tli December, while clearing trees and jungle on 'the road between Chittagong and Ramoo near Hurbaug, an alarm was raised by the coolies that a young tiger had been found. Idyself and an inspector of telegraphs, working under my orders, went to the spot and discovered a small animal, apparently crouching, on a low bough ; the coolies and one or two travellers from the road surrounded the tree and captured the animal; the first man who seized it, not being able to tell atwhich end its head was, was bitten. A string was passed round the animal's neck, and it was brought on to the road.
Description of the animal.?About 18 inches long, quadtailess, without callosities, colour sandy, hinder long and powerful, index finger of forehand short, apparently the shortest finger, head small, neck scarcely perceptible, the head appearing to be joined directly to body, ears small, and had the appearance a cat's ear would have if cropped close, face triangular, nose being sharp, eyes very large indeed, with vertical pupils contracted to a narrow line in sun-light, rumanous, extremities
CASES FROM PRACTICE. CASES
OF
KEroKTED
BY
POISONED J.
BITES.
Father, M.D., C.S.I.
Tiie two following cases are most interesting; the first as showing how liable one is to error, even where the evidence seems
perfectly complete.
There can be, I believe, no doubt that the Lemur, or Nyc~ ticebus Tardigradus, is a most harmless, gentle, little creature, and vet it is convicted on the best evidence of poisoning a man b}' its bite, as a venomous snako would have poisoned him. The effects, so well described by the author of the paper, were probably duo to mental causes with some coincident disorder. This is a good example of the necessity for extreme caution in arriving at conclusions, or of generalizing on insufficient data. I am exceedingly obliged to the talented enquirer for his kindness in sending me the notes of this case, and hope he "will continue to note any observations he may make 011 poisonous animals and their bites. 'Ihe socond case is also a very interesting and most graphic one of death caused by the bite of the Bungarus Cceruleus or Ivrait. 1 have as yet, notwithstanding many efforts to do so, been unable to obtain a living specimen of this snake. I should feel very much obliged to any one who would send mo living specimens for tho purpose of experiment. They would travel very safely for a long distance in a common box with a little loose earth and a few holes bored for ventilation ; addressed to the carc of ilr. Sceva, 10, Kyd Street, they would be most acceptable.
much like a cat, motions slow and awkward on the ground, fur fine and close. The animal was not known by name to any one of the natives of the place; many were attracted to see it by a rumour that it was a tiger cub ; one man said he had been 75 years in the place, and had never seen one before ; another man had seen one and killed it some short time before, but of the many who saw it, travellers, villagers, &c., none could name it. A syce in camp said it was a " hooka butchaha," that its bite would cause giddiness, but the person bitten would not die soon (!) ; having no zoological works of reference, I have been unable to name the animal; other persons who did not see it suggested it might be a hookoo, but this I cannot decide on, the descriptions given, in books or the specimens in a museum is necessary, the animal is not one it would be difficult to recognize. I thought of killing the animal and salting it for investigation, but it was suggested to me to keep it alive, and as this would give opportunities for trying its bite on animals, I tied it up by the neck; its head and neck being of the same circumference, it slipped its head out of the string. I then tied it by the waist, and fastened it by a dog chain to a bush, it escaped again alter dark, and although all the men in camp turned out at once, and within 10 minutes of its escape it was not re-captured ; rewards were offered for it dead or alive, or for one like it without effect. The effects, of the lite? The man who was bitten was Magoonally; father's name Assail ally; village Sathkurna; age about 30; spare; travelling to Akyab to work at cutting the rice crop ; bus several scars from cuts; does not faint at sight of blood ; did not faint when he cut himself passing along the road ; seeing the attempts to surround the animal; joined the coolies, as the animal crouched could not tell which was its head; seized it, and it turned round and bit him on first finger of left hand, first joint near nail, bite a slit about ? inch long. Certainly within five minutes of being bitten the man was senseless, he reached the road with difficulty, and speedily became insensible, having first complained of pain in the arm to the shoulder. I ordered him to be kept horizontal, a tight string tied round the arm above the elbow, and I sent to the camp for brandy ; the face had a very anxious expression at first. I did not suppose the effect due to any thing but fear, or a constitutional horror of blood. I, therefore, tried to persuade the man and the bystanders, the animal was a harmless monkey. A native passing stopped, performed ceremonies over the injured man, bled by scoring his arm lightly with a sharp knife : this I did not interfere with, finding the man continued insensible. I scut to ask an inspector working a short distance off if he had ever heard of a similar case or seen the animal before, neither he nor the passers-by knew the animal nor had ever seen one before. When the brandy arrived an hour or more after the accident, the man was still almost senseless ; weak brandy and water was poured down his throat, he gradually improved, but although bitten between 11 a.m. and noon, it was about 5 p.m. before he could walk even with assistance; as soon as he was able to speak he complained of great pain in the abdomen. I ordered him to be rubbed and refused to allow him to bo removed from where he lay. In the evening lie was taken between two men to a mosque ; the next evening he came to the camp recovered, but weak ; lie said he felt pain in the hand first; that it extended up the arm to the other arm ; that ho became g'ddy ; the pain extended to his legs and body; that he was insensible during the whole timo
CASES FEOM PRACTICE.
Mat 2, 1870.]
105
of one of his fingers while asleep in the cook-house, on the practitioner was operating on him ; that he had a that thetip of the wound awoke him, and he called for pain from in help. his abdomen on recovery burning pain insensibility, and that this pain continued all night; that he did not recover A Krait was immediately discovered in the cook-room, which in a alive and put chatty. Fully half an hour had until the next morning, and that he then (evening) felt weak from ?was captured the efFccts of the illness; he was fasting when bitten. While elapsed from the time he was bitten before I was called to him. I the animal was tied up at my tent a man who came to see it Having ammonia in the house, at once gave him a dose with and then proceeded to examine the wound. This I recognised it as like one he had killed some short time before ; brandy, he told one of my men, an intelligent man, that he received found to be one minute puncture on the tip of a finger, with a information from a cowherd, that the deatli of a cow of his was small drop of congealed blood on it, such as would result from due to the saliva of one of these animals having been swallowed the prick of a very fine needle. The back of the hand was with grass; the owner of the cow went to see the nnimal, saw it, puffy and swollen, but the swelling did not extend beyond the killed it, and threw it into a khaul, but his dog attacked the wrist. The of time which had elapsed since the bite was animal, got bitten and died the next day. This case is of use, as receivedlength rendered local treatment next to useless, nevertheless referred to more the cause of especially corroborating the one the death of the cow may be open to doubt, but the man asserts I tied a ligature above the wrist, and rubbed liquor ammonia the dog was unmistakeably bitten, became ill soon after, and died into the wound. The boy's countenance wns anxious, and his breathing short The conclusions I draw from next day at its owner's house. and hurried; he complained of uneasiness and constriction tlie above are?jfirstly, that the man Magoonally -was really across the chest. He evidently had no hope of recovery, as the bitten by a certain quadrumanous animal in the presence of an moment he saw me he exclaimed?"Salaam, Sahib, hamjata; inspector, myself, and a number of coolies and native travellers ; ham jata !" secondly, that serious effects followed immediately after the bite, such effects indicating some powerful interference with the Finding the pulse becoming smaller and surface getting cold, functions of the nervous system; thirdly, that no cause other I applied sinapisms to the cardiac and epigastric regions to the than the bite can be indicated as having produced the effect calves of the legs and the inside of thighs, at the same time givreferred to, while the rapidity with which tlie effects were pro- ing ammonia and brandy in full doses about every 10 minutes. About 3-30 a.m., he began to get drowsy; up to this time duced, their duration and nature, were such as by analogy he had been quite conscious. I then had him walked about could be attributed to an animal poison. The proof of the toxic action of the bite of the animal is smartly by a couple of men, until finding that he was losing all as rigid as possible; it was probably greater in the case under power over his limbs, I had him placed on a charpoy, and reference, as tlie sufferer was fasting. I do not remember to endeavoured to excite consciousness by slapping the calves of have seen mention of any similar fact in any of the works 011 the legs, thighs, buttocks, arms, &c., and applying the button toxicology I have seen ; at present I have none to refer to ; the cautery along the spine. fact may perchance be a new one, but at any rate probably All was of no avail, the breathing became stertorous, pupils these cases are very rare indeed, and observations of any value fixed, and complete coma established. He gave one or two slight convulsions, and about 5 a.m. exvery few; one case may be of value, and although it is incumbent on mo to refer to existing works on zoology and toxicology, pired, being 2? hours after I first saw him, and 3 hours from both to identify the animal, and ascertain if the fact is a new the time he was said to have been bitten. ~No post-mortem was made. one, as I suppose before making it known, having no means of About 4 hours after death the body was swollen, abdomen making such, I have no alternative but to depend 011 the existence in those with the means at their disposal, of that distended, and frothy bloody mucus oozed from mouth and desire to add to the common stock of knowledge into the ocean nostrils. of which it is I examined the Krait. It was about 2\ feet long, and its fang3 add a drop. my highest ambitiou to wero perfect. C. JonN Douglas, The above facts are given from memory, as I kept no notes of Teacher of Science, Dept. of Science and Arts, E, B. the case. Kraits abound at Hazareebaugh. Note "by Dr. J. Anderson, Curator of the Indian Museum. I killed several during my stay there, and so did many of my The description of tlio animal leads me to believe that it acquaintances. more must have been accurately N. Nyclicebus Tardigradus, or Thayetmyo, 10?7j March, 1870. javanicus, for the former appears to be only a local variety of the latter. It is a most harmless little animal, living chiefly on insects. Groto took one to the Zoological Society from me that the native
Botanical Gardens. I year at the bitten by it on one occasion, and my brother's old servant Nubboo, who was killed by a snake about u year and a half ago, was also bitten, but with no ill result. I recollect those occurrences, because the natives about had a horror of its bite. I had other three living specimens when I left f?r Younan, but they were killed in my absence. The latter came from Assam (Goalpara), and I am inclined to regard them as distinct from the Malayan form that extends up the Peninsula 83 far as is nothing Bengal. Its occurrence at Chittagong remarkable, and now that it is got there, I shall take the opportunity to try to induce Mr. Douglas to get some for the nuseum, a8 I want more materials before I can decido on the specific identity or not of the Assam form with N. javanicus, 4th April, 1870. I had for
more
than
one
distinctly remember being
The
English
name
is Slow
Lemur.?J? A.
No. 2. DEATH PROM BITE OF A KRAIT. Reported by Dr. Thomson, II- M's 1?>th Regiment. In July, 1865, while stationed at Ha?areebaugli, I was roused one morning at 2-30 to see a young kitmutghar in my employ, said to have been bitten by a Krait. I found him half-sitting up, his head supported by an old Brahmin, who was holding some root to his nose, supposed to be an antidote, and small portions of which had been given to the boy to chew. 1 Has told that the lad had been bitten about 18
(aged
years)
j
Description of the animal.?About 18 inches long, quadtailess, without callosities, colour sandy, hinder long and powerful, index finger of forehand short, apparently the shortest finger, head small, neck scarcely perceptible, the head appearing to be joined directly to body, ears small, and had the appearance a cat's ear would have if cropped close, face triangular, nose being sharp, eyes very large indeed, with vertical pupils contracted to a narrow line in sun-light, rumanous, extremities
CASES FROM PRACTICE. CASES
OF
KEroKTED
BY
POISONED J.
BITES.
Father, M.D., C.S.I.
Tiie two following cases are most interesting; the first as showing how liable one is to error, even where the evidence seems
perfectly complete.
There can be, I believe, no doubt that the Lemur, or Nyc~ ticebus Tardigradus, is a most harmless, gentle, little creature, and vet it is convicted on the best evidence of poisoning a man b}' its bite, as a venomous snako would have poisoned him. The effects, so well described by the author of the paper, were probably duo to mental causes with some coincident disorder. This is a good example of the necessity for extreme caution in arriving at conclusions, or of generalizing on insufficient data. I am exceedingly obliged to the talented enquirer for his kindness in sending me the notes of this case, and hope he "will continue to note any observations he may make 011 poisonous animals and their bites. 'Ihe socond case is also a very interesting and most graphic one of death caused by the bite of the Bungarus Cceruleus or Ivrait. 1 have as yet, notwithstanding many efforts to do so, been unable to obtain a living specimen of this snake. I should feel very much obliged to any one who would send mo living specimens for tho purpose of experiment. They would travel very safely for a long distance in a common box with a little loose earth and a few holes bored for ventilation ; addressed to the carc of ilr. Sceva, 10, Kyd Street, they would be most acceptable.
much like a cat, motions slow and awkward on the ground, fur fine and close. The animal was not known by name to any one of the natives of the place; many were attracted to see it by a rumour that it was a tiger cub ; one man said he had been 75 years in the place, and had never seen one before ; another man had seen one and killed it some short time before, but of the many who saw it, travellers, villagers, &c., none could name it. A syce in camp said it was a " hooka butchaha," that its bite would cause giddiness, but the person bitten would not die soon (!) ; having no zoological works of reference, I have been unable to name the animal; other persons who did not see it suggested it might be a hookoo, but this I cannot decide on, the descriptions given, in books or the specimens in a museum is necessary, the animal is not one it would be difficult to recognize. I thought of killing the animal and salting it for investigation, but it was suggested to me to keep it alive, and as this would give opportunities for trying its bite on animals, I tied it up by the neck; its head and neck being of the same circumference, it slipped its head out of the string. I then tied it by the waist, and fastened it by a dog chain to a bush, it escaped again alter dark, and although all the men in camp turned out at once, and within 10 minutes of its escape it was not re-captured ; rewards were offered for it dead or alive, or for one like it without effect. The effects, of the lite? The man who was bitten was Magoonally; father's name Assail ally; village Sathkurna; age about 30; spare; travelling to Akyab to work at cutting the rice crop ; bus several scars from cuts; does not faint at sight of blood ; did not faint when he cut himself passing along the road ; seeing the attempts to surround the animal; joined the coolies, as the animal crouched could not tell which was its head; seized it, and it turned round and bit him on first finger of left hand, first joint near nail, bite a slit about ? inch long. Certainly within five minutes of being bitten the man was senseless, he reached the road with difficulty, and speedily became insensible, having first complained of pain in the arm to the shoulder. I ordered him to be kept horizontal, a tight string tied round the arm above the elbow, and I sent to the camp for brandy ; the face had a very anxious expression at first. I did not suppose the effect due to any thing but fear, or a constitutional horror of blood. I, therefore, tried to persuade the man and the bystanders, the animal was a harmless monkey. A native passing stopped, performed ceremonies over the injured man, bled by scoring his arm lightly with a sharp knife : this I did not interfere with, finding the man continued insensible. I scut to ask an inspector working a short distance off if he had ever heard of a similar case or seen the animal before, neither he nor the passers-by knew the animal nor had ever seen one before. When the brandy arrived an hour or more after the accident, the man was still almost senseless ; weak brandy and water was poured down his throat, he gradually improved, but although bitten between 11 a.m. and noon, it was about 5 p.m. before he could walk even with assistance; as soon as he was able to speak he complained of great pain in the abdomen. I ordered him to be rubbed and refused to allow him to bo removed from where he lay. In the evening lie was taken between two men to a mosque ; the next evening he came to the camp recovered, but weak ; lie said he felt pain in the hand first; that it extended up the arm to the other arm ; that ho became g'ddy ; the pain extended to his legs and body; that he was insensible during the whole timo
CASES FEOM PRACTICE.
Mat 2, 1870.]
105
of one of his fingers while asleep in the cook-house, on the practitioner was operating on him ; that he had a that thetip of the wound awoke him, and he called for pain from in help. his abdomen on recovery burning pain insensibility, and that this pain continued all night; that he did not recover A Krait was immediately discovered in the cook-room, which in a alive and put chatty. Fully half an hour had until the next morning, and that he then (evening) felt weak from ?was captured the efFccts of the illness; he was fasting when bitten. While elapsed from the time he was bitten before I was called to him. I the animal was tied up at my tent a man who came to see it Having ammonia in the house, at once gave him a dose with and then proceeded to examine the wound. This I recognised it as like one he had killed some short time before ; brandy, he told one of my men, an intelligent man, that he received found to be one minute puncture on the tip of a finger, with a information from a cowherd, that the deatli of a cow of his was small drop of congealed blood on it, such as would result from due to the saliva of one of these animals having been swallowed the prick of a very fine needle. The back of the hand was with grass; the owner of the cow went to see the nnimal, saw it, puffy and swollen, but the swelling did not extend beyond the killed it, and threw it into a khaul, but his dog attacked the wrist. The of time which had elapsed since the bite was animal, got bitten and died the next day. This case is of use, as receivedlength rendered local treatment next to useless, nevertheless referred to more the cause of especially corroborating the one the death of the cow may be open to doubt, but the man asserts I tied a ligature above the wrist, and rubbed liquor ammonia the dog was unmistakeably bitten, became ill soon after, and died into the wound. The boy's countenance wns anxious, and his breathing short The conclusions I draw from next day at its owner's house. and hurried; he complained of uneasiness and constriction tlie above are?jfirstly, that the man Magoonally -was really across the chest. He evidently had no hope of recovery, as the bitten by a certain quadrumanous animal in the presence of an moment he saw me he exclaimed?"Salaam, Sahib, hamjata; inspector, myself, and a number of coolies and native travellers ; ham jata !" secondly, that serious effects followed immediately after the bite, such effects indicating some powerful interference with the Finding the pulse becoming smaller and surface getting cold, functions of the nervous system; thirdly, that no cause other I applied sinapisms to the cardiac and epigastric regions to the than the bite can be indicated as having produced the effect calves of the legs and the inside of thighs, at the same time givreferred to, while the rapidity with which tlie effects were pro- ing ammonia and brandy in full doses about every 10 minutes. About 3-30 a.m., he began to get drowsy; up to this time duced, their duration and nature, were such as by analogy he had been quite conscious. I then had him walked about could be attributed to an animal poison. The proof of the toxic action of the bite of the animal is smartly by a couple of men, until finding that he was losing all as rigid as possible; it was probably greater in the case under power over his limbs, I had him placed on a charpoy, and reference, as tlie sufferer was fasting. I do not remember to endeavoured to excite consciousness by slapping the calves of have seen mention of any similar fact in any of the works 011 the legs, thighs, buttocks, arms, &c., and applying the button toxicology I have seen ; at present I have none to refer to ; the cautery along the spine. fact may perchance be a new one, but at any rate probably All was of no avail, the breathing became stertorous, pupils these cases are very rare indeed, and observations of any value fixed, and complete coma established. He gave one or two slight convulsions, and about 5 a.m. exvery few; one case may be of value, and although it is incumbent on mo to refer to existing works on zoology and toxicology, pired, being 2? hours after I first saw him, and 3 hours from both to identify the animal, and ascertain if the fact is a new the time he was said to have been bitten. ~No post-mortem was made. one, as I suppose before making it known, having no means of About 4 hours after death the body was swollen, abdomen making such, I have no alternative but to depend 011 the existence in those with the means at their disposal, of that distended, and frothy bloody mucus oozed from mouth and desire to add to the common stock of knowledge into the ocean nostrils. of which it is I examined the Krait. It was about 2\ feet long, and its fang3 add a drop. my highest ambitiou to wero perfect. C. JonN Douglas, The above facts are given from memory, as I kept no notes of Teacher of Science, Dept. of Science and Arts, E, B. the case. Kraits abound at Hazareebaugh. Note "by Dr. J. Anderson, Curator of the Indian Museum. I killed several during my stay there, and so did many of my The description of tlio animal leads me to believe that it acquaintances. more must have been accurately N. Nyclicebus Tardigradus, or Thayetmyo, 10?7j March, 1870. javanicus, for the former appears to be only a local variety of the latter. It is a most harmless little animal, living chiefly on insects. Groto took one to the Zoological Society from me that the native
Botanical Gardens. I year at the bitten by it on one occasion, and my brother's old servant Nubboo, who was killed by a snake about u year and a half ago, was also bitten, but with no ill result. I recollect those occurrences, because the natives about had a horror of its bite. I had other three living specimens when I left f?r Younan, but they were killed in my absence. The latter came from Assam (Goalpara), and I am inclined to regard them as distinct from the Malayan form that extends up the Peninsula 83 far as is nothing Bengal. Its occurrence at Chittagong remarkable, and now that it is got there, I shall take the opportunity to try to induce Mr. Douglas to get some for the nuseum, a8 I want more materials before I can decido on the specific identity or not of the Assam form with N. javanicus, 4th April, 1870. I had for
more
than
one
distinctly remember being
The
English
name
is Slow
Lemur.?J? A.
No. 2. DEATH PROM BITE OF A KRAIT. Reported by Dr. Thomson, II- M's 1?>th Regiment. In July, 1865, while stationed at Ha?areebaugli, I was roused one morning at 2-30 to see a young kitmutghar in my employ, said to have been bitten by a Krait. I found him half-sitting up, his head supported by an old Brahmin, who was holding some root to his nose, supposed to be an antidote, and small portions of which had been given to the boy to chew. 1 Has told that the lad had been bitten about 18
(aged
years)
j
