The Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1908. THE KATIPO SPIDER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 390, 17 March 1908, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1908. THE KATIPO SPIDER.

The katipo spider is receiving a good deal of attention just now. A writer in the Otago Daily Times states that less than a year ago, a little boy at Seacliff, near Dunedin, died from the bite of a katipo though he had the benefit of careful medical attendance. The writer suggests that the physiological action of the venom of the spider should be thoroughly investigated. By injecting the poison into an artery of a rabbit and noting the actual physiological cause of death—as, perhaps, forexample its inhibitory effect on some of the nerve centres in the brain, medulla, or spinal cord an indication. he says, might be obtained of the best antidote to use, probably one of the known vegetable alkaloids, the physiological action of which directly antagonises that of the venom. The president of the Medical Congress at Dunedin last year has made an exhaustive investigation into the causes of hydatids, one of our New Zealand pests. An equally exhaustive investigation into the nature and treatment of the bite of the katipo spider, it is suggested should also be undertaken.