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OF THE BITES OF POISONOUS ANIMaLS.

30S

W ltli regard to poisonous insects, as the bee, the wasp, the hornet, Ac.I heir stings are seldom attended with danger, unless when a person hap-pens to be stung by a great number of them at the same time; in wnichease something should be done to abate the inflammation and swellingSome, for this purpose, apply honey, oil, and volatile liquor or hartshorn;others lay pounded parsley to the part.

A mixture ot vinegar and Venice treacle is likewise recommended;but rubbing the part with warm salad-oil succeeds very well. Indeed,when the stings are so numerous as to endanger the patient's life, whichis sometimes the case, he must not only have oily poultices applied tothe part, but should likewise be bled, and take some cooling medicines,as nitre or cream of tartar, and should drink plentifully of dilutingliquors.

It is the happiness of this island to have very few poisonous animals,and those which we have are by no means of the most virulent kind.We cannot however make the same observation with regard to poisonousvegetables. These abound every where, and prove often fatal to theignorant and unwary. This indeed is chiefly owing to carelessnessChildien ought early to be cautioned against eating any kind of fruit,roots, or berries, which they do not know ; and all poisonous plants towhich they can have accoss, ought, as far as possible, to be destroyed.

Seldom a year passes but we have accounts of several persons poisonedby eating hemlock roots instead of parsneps, or some kind of funguswhich they had gathered for mushrooms. These examples ought to pupeople on their guard with respect to the former, and to put the latterentirely out of use. Mushrooms may be a delicate dish, but they are adangerous one, as they are generally gathered by persons who do notknow one kind of fungus from another, and take every thing for a mush-room which has that appearance.

It may not be amiss to observe, for the benefit of such of our country-men as go to America, that an effectual remedy is now said to be foundfor the bite of the rattle-snake.—The prescription is as follows: Takeof the roots of plantain and horehound, in summer, roots and branchesogether, a sufficient quantity; bruise them in a mortar, and squeeze outthe juice, of which give, as soon as possible, one large spoonful: if thepatient be swelled, you must force it down his throat. This generallywill cure; but, if he finds no relief in an hour after, you may giveanother spoonful, which never fails.—If the roots are dried, they mustbe moistened with a little water. To the wound may be applied a leafof good tobacco moistened with rum.

It is possible there may be in nature specific remedies for every kindof poison; but as we have very little faith in any of those which haveyet been pretended to be discovered, we shall beg leave again to recom-mend the most strict attention to the following rules, viz. That whenany poisonous substance has been taken into the stomach, it ought assoon as possible, to be discharged by vomits, clysters, and purges ; and,when poison has been reeeived into the body by a wound, that it be ex-pelled by medicines which promote the different secretions, especially1hose of sweat, urine, and insensible perspiration; to which may bejoined antispasmodics, or such medicines as take off tension and irrita-tion • the chief of which are opium, musk, camphor, and asafcetida.

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