Poisonous Dwellers of the DesertDodge, Natt N. (Natt Noyes)
Science
Poisonous Dwellers of the Desert
Dodge, Natt N. (Natt Noyes)
Desert animals -- Southwest, New; Poisonous animals -- Southwest, New
According to Kent and Stahnke[1], “the victim soon becomes restless.
This increases to a degree that, in cases of small children, the patient
is entirely unable to cooperate with attendants. It turns, frets, and
does not remain quiet for an instant. The abdominal muscles may become
rigid, and there may be contractions of the arms and legs. Drooling of
saliva begins, and the heart rate increases. The temperature may reach
103 or 104 degrees. Cyanosis (skin turning blue) gradually appears, and
respiration becomes increasingly difficult, causing a reaction not
unlike that observed in a severe case of bronchial asthma. Involuntary
urination and defecation may occur. In fatal cases the above symptoms
may become so marked that apparently the child dies from exhaustion.
“In cases that recover, the acute symptoms subside in 12 hours or less.
In the adult, symptoms as enumerated may be encountered, but as a rule
they are less severe. Numbness is usually experienced at the site of the
sting. If one of the appendages is stung, the member may become
temporarily useless. Two cases of temporary blindness have been
experienced. Some patients complain of malaise (discomfort) for many
days following the sting. One patient developed a tachycardia (rapid
heart) lasting two weeks.”
Treatment of scorpion stings
Dr. Stahnke recommends the following treatment for a person stung by one
of the deadly scorpions:
_“First, apply a tight tourniquet near the point of puncture and between
it and the heart.... As soon as possible, place an ice pack on the site
of the sting. Have a pack of finely crushed ice wrapped in as thin a
cloth as possible. Cover and surround the area for about 10 to 12
inches. After the ice pack has been in place for approximately 5
minutes, remove the tourniquet._
_“If a person is stung on the hand, foot, or other region that can be
submerged completely, place the portion, as soon as possible, in an
ice-and-water mixture made of small lumps of ice (about half the size of
ice cubes) in a proportion of half ice and half water. Treatment should
not be continued longer than 2 hours._
_“NEVER put salt in the water. After the first 15 minutes, the hand or
foot must be removed for relief for 1 minute every 10 minutes in the
iced water.”_
_Dr. Stahnke continues: “If the patient is less than 3 years old, if the
patient has been stung several times, or if the patient has been stung
on the back of the neck, anywhere along the backbone, or on an area of
deep flesh like the buttock, thigh, or trunk of the body, or especially
on the genital organs, medical assistance should be obtained at once.”_
_Dr. F. A. Shannon advises that no person with disease involving the
circulation of the extremities should use iced water. Morphine is a
necessary tool in controlling pain, and barbiturates are useful for
control of convulsions._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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