Tarentula Cubensis tarent-c.

Mygale Cubensis. Arana peluda. Cuban Tarantula. N. O. Araneideæ. Tincture of whole spider.

Carbuncle. Chorea. Intermittents.

"The Mygale Cubensis , which may be called the Cuban Tarentula , also found in South Carolina and Texas, is a larger spider, of a dark brown colour, less poisonous, and covered with more hairs than the Tarentula Hispanica " (Hering). The chief uses to which Trn. c . has been put are: ( 1 ) Carbuncle, even to sloughing; with great prostration and diarrhœa. ( 2 ) Intermittent fever, with evening exacerbation. A keynote symptom is "atrocious pains." A case of chorea in a girl of twelve is reported ( H. M ., March, 1901) cured with Trn. c . 6. The movements were confined to the left side, and occurred chiefly at night, when Trn. c . was prescribed.

Compare: In intermittents, Aran. d. Carbuncle, Anthrac., Lach., Sil.

Anxiety. ─ Delirium.

Headache.

Diarrhœa.

Retention of urine.

Toxæmia.

The bite is painless; the person is not sensible of it till next day, when an inflamed pimple is found surrounded by a scarlet areola; from the pimple to some other part of the body a red erysipelatous line is seen, marking the line followed by the spider over the skin after biting. ─ This pimple swells, the inflamed areola spreads, chills and fever set in with copious sweat and retention of urine; the pimple becomes a hard, large, exceedingly painful abscess, ending by mortification of the integuments over it, and having several small openings, discharging a thick, sanious matter containing pieces of mortified cellular tissue, fasciæ, and tendons; the openings by growing run into one another, forming a large cavity; at this period the fever takes the intermittent type with evening exacerbations. ─ In two cases, in delicate children, the bite proved fatal; but the majority recover in from three to six weeks.

Chills followed by intense burning fever supervene on second or third day; with great thirst, anxiety, restlessness, headache, delirium, copious perspiration and retention of urine. ─ Later the fever takes the intermittent type, with evening paroxysms, accompanied by diarrhœa and great prostration.