POISONING BY CANTHARIDES AND OTHER INSECTS.
Action on genito-urinary and alimentary tracts. Dysphagia, congestion, retching, diarrhœa, with mucus and blood, diuresis, enuresis, albuminuria, retracted testicles, prostration. Lesions: urinary and gastro-intestinal congestion, ecchymosis. Treatment: emesis with ipecacuan, demulcents, avoidance of oils, alcohol and chloroform. Other vesicant beetles and larva.
Spanish flies have a primary physiological action on the genito-urinary organs, but when introduced by the stomach they prove direct and violent irritants to the gastro-intestinal mucous membrane. They cause redness of the buccal mucous membrane, difficulty of swallowing, retching, emesis in vomiting animals, diarrhœa with mucus and bloody fæces, diuresis or enuresis with albuminous urine, retraction of the testicles, prostration, perspiration, paresis and death.
Lesions. Active gastro-intestinal congestion with ecchymosis, marked congestion of the genito-urinary mucosa especially that of the bladder.
Treatment. Emesis with ipecacuan and tepid water, followed by abundant mucilaginous or albuminous liquids. Flaxseed tea, gum arabic, and white of eggs are useful. Avoid oils, alcohol and chloroform which dissolve the cantharides.
Among other insects which act as vesicants may be named the cockroach (blatta orientalis) and the potato beetle (cantharis vitatta), also the cantharis cinerea, cantharis marginata, cantharis atrata, and cantharis nuttalli. The larvæ of various lepidoptera, thus army worm, Cnethocampa primivora, Cnethocampa processionea, liparis auriflua, lithosia crinola, and the larvæ of the artica cassus ligniperda, and pieris brassica are covered with stinging hairs charged with formic acid and perhaps an enzyme, which are shed with the skin in passing into the state of chrysalis, and getting mixed with fodders produce violent stomatitis, hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis and nephritis.