A POISONOUS SPIDER.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7782, 9 February 1891, Page 6

A POISONOUS SPIDER.

DEATH FROM A KATEPO BITE. 1 IPEBSS ASSOCIATION , TELEGRAM.] WELLINGTON, February 7. An inquest was held to-day as to the cause of death of Malcolm Fraser, an expressman, whom it was alleged succumbed to the bite of a Katipo spider. Vr. Ewarfc, Medical Superintendent at the Hospital, who made the post mortem said, in his opinion death was due to the bite of the spider, the man being in a bad state of health at the time. The active cause of death was erysipelas, but that in. his opinion was brought about by the bite, in answer to the jury Dr. Ewarb said there was blood poisoning, and if the mans blood had been in a healthy condition the bite would not have been fataL The jury returned a verdict that death was due to erysipelas as a consequence of the bite of a Kaiipo spider. At the inquesD, Mr William Maskell, Registrar of che New Zealand University, said that he had some knowledge of the Kaiipo spider. It belonged to a genus of which there were examples in many countries. There were similar spiders in America, Australia, Southern Europe. Northern Africa, and probably India and Madagascar. In these countries there was a prevailing impression that this kind of spider was poisonous. Among scientific men who had studied spiders there had been a doubt untilrecently whetherspiders of this genus (latrodictus) were really dangerous, but from a series of communications from various parts of the world which had lately appeared in an American publication called "Insect Life," published by the United States Government, it seems as iE it were fairly settled chat the genua was venomous. It seems probable that conditions of climate might have an effect ana that in hot. ctiimites or warm weather the poison be more powerful. With regard to the New Zealand spider, the Katipo, he had known of one previous case of poisoning and had heard of. others. Mr Maskell produced a list of cases propared by Mr R. Allen Wright, a resident of Auckland, the general eilect of which was Lo show that the bite was not fatal to healthy adult persons, but in a|l cases there was very great pain with severe depression and spasms. Witness next described the spider, and stated that it was found almost exclusively near the sea shore, principally where there were sandhills. It was very common near che seashore in the vicinity of Wellington.