| Show aztecs azteca of years ago knew much oi of insects including black widow spider afe the average aztec of of four centuries ago knew more about insects than the average city dweller today says dr C H curran associate curator of insect life of the american museum of natural history proof of the aztecs azteca lively interest in in natural history writes dr curran is handed down to us chi chiefly efly by the spanish writer sahagun his diligent pursuit of information on the subject is evidence that a definite interest in insects and their ways existed before the present era of systematic science the black widow spider of the az becs was the same as that which has attracted so much attention in the united states during the last few years the aztecs azteca did not look upon it as deadly but they did consider it poisonous sahagun wrote of this spider there are some poisonous spiders in this country they are black and have a reddish tail the stings cause great fatigue for three or four days although they do not kill with their stings this is as true today as it was at the time of the spanish conquest the bite may prove to be of little or no consequence it may result in serious illness for a few days or it may prove fatal if inflicted on a sensitive part of the body the virulence of the bite depends upon its location the condition of the spider at the time of the bite the amount of venom injected and the health of the individual the aztec treatment tor for the bite of the black widow consisted of the application of a compress soaked in an alkaline solution in a container of water it is noted that at the present time the bites and stings of insects are treated by keeping them moist with an alkaline solution such as baking soda aside from complete rest which the aztecs azteca seem to have recognized as beneficial 1 in n the case of black widow spider bite the treatment recommended today provides the intravenous injection in solution of the drug known as epsom salts |
