Terrorist Canadian monster 第十三节.docx
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Terrorist Canadian monster 第十三节.docx
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TerroristCanadianmonster第十三节
Introduction
ROMANCErevelsintheperiloftheunknown.Lappedaboutwiththearmor-plateofcivilization,themoderncitizenmusesrelishingly,likeachildbeguilinghimselfwithogretales,upontheterrorswhichliejustbeyondhisken.Tohismind,
Astone'sthrowoutoneitherhand,
Andalltheworldiswildandstrange.
Avidforsensation,hepeoplestheremotenessofforestandmountainwithmalignanddestructivecreatures,whencehasgrownupanextensiveandastonishingliteratureofsnakeandinsectpoisonlore.
"Deadly"isthemasterwordofthecult.Therattlesnakeis"deadly."Thecopperheadandmoccasinare"deadly."Soisthewhollymythicalpuffadder.Inhardlylessdegreeisthetarantula"deadly,"whilevaryinglethalcapacitiesareascribedtothecentipede,thescorpion,thekissing-bug,andsundryotherformsofinsectlife.Thewholematterisbasedupontheslenderestfoundations.Idon'tmean,bythis,thattheseill-famedspeciesarewhollyinnocuous.Itwouldbehighlyinadvisabletosnatchakissfromacopperheadortostrokeatarantula'sfurthewrongway.Butonecoulddoitandlivetoboastoftheachievement.Pseudosciencetothecontrarynotwithstanding,thereisnolivingthingwithintheboundariesoftheUnitedStatesofAmericawhosebiteorstingissuredeathor(withonepossibleexception)evenprobabledeath.
Therearefivevarietiesofvenomousserpentsinthiscountry:
threeofthemCrotalids,andtwobelongingtotheElapsfamily.TheElapsareratherrare.TheCrotalids(rattlesnake,moccasin,andcopperhead)arecommon,andofthewidestgeographicaldistribution.Yet,onthebasisofactualevidence,theamazingfactstandsoutthatonlyabouteightypersons,sofarasisascertainable,haveeverdiedfromsnakebiteintheUnitedStates.NowhereintheCivilWarrecordsdoesadeathfromthiscauseappear,thoughhundredsofthousandsofmenwereliving"onthecountry,"andatatimewhentheserpentclanwasmuchmorenumerousthannow.
Estimatesvaryastotheproportionofdeathstobites.PrentissWillsonbelievesthatsomethingovertenpercent.ofallpersonsbittenbyvenomoussnakesintheUnitedStatesdie.Astohowmanyofthesesuccumb,nottothevenom,buttothemisdirectedeffortsofmisguidedfriendsattreatment--anextremelyimportantdifferentiation--helacksthedatauponwhichtobaseareckoning.S.WeirMitchell'sfiguresindicate8.7percent.mortalityforrattlesnakebite.Thiswouldmakethevenomaboutasdangerousasthetoxinoftyphoidfever,whichisnotgenerallyregardedasanecessarily"deadly"disease.Otherwritersgoashighasfifteenpercent.fortherattlesnakeandaslowasonepercent.forthecopperhead.
Allgeneralestimatesseemtometoleaveonebasicelementoutofconsideration--theunnoted,non-fatalsnakebites.Thatabiteresultingindeathwilleventuallygetitselfreportedisreasonablycertain.Ontheotherhand,Iamsatisfied,fromtalkingwithplantationownersintheSouth,withranchmenintheWest,andwithwoodsmenandhuntersalloverthecountry,that,intheremoterregions,manyinstancesofpoisoningbycopperheadsandthesmallerrattlesnakesneverattainthedignityofbeinglisted,soinsignificantaretheyintheireffects.Wereallthesetoberecorded,Ibelievethatthemortalityratiowouldfallnotably.
AlthoughIhavebeeninterestedinthesubjectformanyyears,Ihavenevermetamanwhohasseenafatalcaseofsnakebite.Morethanthis,myfriendMr.StewartEdwardWhite,anotedhunterandexplorerofuntroddengroundinregionsinfestedbyreptiles,hasknownofbutonecaseterminatingindeathwhichhebelievestobeauthentic.Dr.J.A.Mitchell,ofVictoria,Texas,oneofthemostexperiencedoffieldobservers,hasnevermetwithaninstanceoffatalityfromthiscause.Dr.Mitchellbelievesthathorsesalways,anddogsalmostalways,recoverfromrattlesnakebite.Heconfirms,fromobservation,themysteriousfactthathogsexhibitabsoluteimmunityfromthevenom.
Chapter1WhiskyVS.Snakebite
Beitrememberedalwaysthatdeathfollowingsnakebiteisnotnecessarilythesamethingasdeathfromsnakebite.Errorintreatmentplaysnosmallpartinvitiatingthestatistics.For"error"read"whisky."Whoeverisprimarilyresponsibleforthehoarysuperstitionthatliquorinhugedosesisusefulinsnakepoisoninghasmanyalifetoanswerfor.Apartfromanyadventitiousaidwhatsoever,whetherfromasnakeoranyothersource,awholebottleofrawwhiskyforceddownthethroatofamanunaccustomedtoalcoholisprettylikelytokillhim,andisabsolutelycertaintocausegravepoisoning.Addtothisthatitisgiven,often,insuchamannerthatthereactionfromitcomescontemporaneouslywiththeheartcollapsecausedbythevenom,andatellingcommentaryuponthemethodissuggested.Itisaquestionwhetheralcoholshouldeverbegiveninsuchcaseswithouttheadviceofaphysician.Certainitisthatitshouldnotbepouredintothevictiminquantitieslimitedonlybytheflask-contentsofthebystanders.
SeveralyearsagoIsawtwointerestinglycontrastedcasesofcopperheadbite.Thefirstpatientwasapowerful,full-blooded,temperate,Irishday-laborerwho,whileroad-mending,wasbittenonthebackofthehandbetweentwofingers.Hisfellowshustledhimofftoaroomoveraneighboringsaloon,wheretheyproceededtoadministertheclassictreatment.Beforethedoctorarrivedtheyhadintroducedaquartandahalfofwhiskyintoastomachunusedtoanythingstrongerthanbeerinsmallquantities.Sixhourslater,whenIsawthemanthroughthewreckageofchairs,tables,andbedding,fourbatteredfriendsweretryingtoholdhimdown.Theythoughthewashavingconvulsionsfromthesnakevenom.Hewasn't.Hewashavingdeliriumtremensfromthewhisky.Hisarmandshoulderwerepurpleandswollen.Laterhecollapsed
"Willhedie?
"Iaskedthedoctor.
"Hewon'tdieofthebite,butIthinkhewillofthewhisky,"repliedthedisgustedpractitioner.
Buthedidn't.Hissplendidphysiquepulledhimthrough.Itwaslong,however,beforehewhollyrecoveredfromtheeffectsofthetwopoisons.
ThiswasinaHudsonRivertown.Onlyafewmilesawayanegroboy,shortlyafter,wasstruckbyacopperheadonthebareleg.Thewoundwasadeep,double-fangedpuncture.Whiletheboy'sfatherrushedforwhisky,hismotherranforthedoctor.Thedoctorgottherefirst.Heopenedupthewoundandrubbedinpermanganateofpotashtooxidizethevenomanddestroyitstoxicproperties.WhenItalkedwiththeboy,twodayslater,hewashobblingaboutonacrutch,andtheswellinghadalmostsubsided.Settingtheboy'slesserageandresistantpoweragainstthefactofthelaborer'sbeingbitteninaworseplace(forcrotalinevenomismuchmoreeffectiveinanupperlimborextremitythaninalower),wehaveafairlyillustrativeinstanceoftherelativemeritsofalcoholicandnon-alcoholicmeasures.
Chapter2WhenRattlesnakesKill
Thirteencasesofdeathfollowingrattlesnakeandcopperheadbiteinwhichsatisfactoryclinicaldatawereobtainable,aregivenbyPrentissWillson.Ofthevictims,fivewereyoungchildren,onewasafourteen-year-oldboy,oneachronicdrunkard,andonealeperwhosubmittedtothestrokeofacaptiverattlesnakeinthemadhopethatitwouldcurehisaffliction.Itdid--intwenty-fourhours.Oftheremainingfive,threeweredosedwithalcoholinlargequantities.Inseveralofthecases,notablythoseofthechildren,thereseemedtobeatleastanevenchanceofrecovery,whentheligaturesbindingtheaffectedlimbwereloosenedtorelievethepain,withquicklyfatalresults.Twoofthefatalitieswereattributed,notimmediatelytothevenom,buttothesecondaryblood-poisoning,thisbeingthecasewiththeonlycopperheadbiteinthelist.
Deathresultingtypicallyfromcrotalinepoisoningoccurredintwoinstances,onethefourteen-year-oldboy,whowasstruckbyalargerattlesnakeanddiedinsixhours,despiteskilledandpromptmedicalattendance;theother,aDr.Post,intowhoseveins,itwouldappear,thepoisonenteredimmediately,sinceajetofbloodspurtedfromthewoundinflictedbythecaptiverattlesnake.Themanpassedfromgreatagonyintocoma,fromwhichheneverrallied,deathensuinginfivehoursafterthebite.Thereisnothinginthesedatatoindicatethatafull-grownmaninnormalhealth,andwithpropertreatment,willsuccumbtocrotalinepoisoningunlessthevenomentersavein,direct.
Inthematterofthecomparativepotencyofsnakepoisons,thereareapparentcontradictions.Intheorderofrecordedfatalities,therattlesnakerankseasilyfirst,withthewatermoccasinaratherdistantsecond,andthecopperheadaverypoorthird.Yetexperimentsuponanimalsindicatethatmoccasinvenomisfivetimesaspowerfulasrattlesnake,thoughonlythreetimesaspowerfulascopperhead.Takingthecobraasthebasisofestimate,itrequiresonlytwiceasmuchmoccasinvenomasitdoescobrapoisontokillaguineapig,whereasitrequiressixtimesasmuchcopperheadandtentimesasmuchrattlesnakevirus.Why,then,istherattlerpre-eminentoveritsmorevirulentcousins?
Probablyfortworeasons--thegreateramountofvenomsecreted,andthesuperiorpowerwithwhichtherattlerdrivesitsfangshome.
Chapter3NoVipersInThisCountry
Fullyasmuchterrorattaches,inthecountrydistricts,tothe
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