A BRITISH WOMAN "CHEATED DEATH" YESTERDAY after being bitten by the country's only venomous spider.Emma Craven, 31, from Bournemouth, tried to toss the arachnid out of her bathroom window, assuming it was harmless ~ until it decided to chomp down on her hand.
She rapidly went into life-threatening anaphalactic shock following the bite, and required emergency hospital treatment.False widow spiders are British relatives of the famous American black widow spiders. On average one person a year in the UK requires medical assistance following a false widow bite.
Spiders: top and right ~ false widows; bottom left ~ the famous black widow, bearing funky red arachno-"tattoo" ...
Woman in anaphalactic shock after "false widow" bite (Daily Mirror) ...
The truth about false widow spiders (Natural History Museum) ...
False Widow Spiders (UK Safari)
"Did the false widow bite?" (old news story: November 2006)
"Widow" Spider Breeds In Britain Due To Climate Change (Sun)
PIXIE LOTT: MAMA DO
This is a really catch tune. But I couldn't find it on Youtube for yous all ... Kept thinking it was by Little Boots ... Well y'know: gnomes, fairies and pixies ... would wear little boots ... easy mistake to make, surely ...!
ABSCESS PUS JAMBOREE!
Don't watch this if you're of a queasy disposition, I warn you.
Here's wondrous footage of a pus-overflowing abscess being lanced by medical professionals.
See how they expertly kneed out the gunge and milk it dry!
Many of my friends have had to go into hospital for inpatient abscess surgery on infections that make this look like a blackhead in comparison. I've always wanted to see what actually happens as the yucky infection goes under the knife ...
Yuck! I had to kill a BIG black spider in the bathroom late the other night, and I felt sick to my stomach. That poor woman. That's the sort of lottery I'd win.
ReplyDeleteLove you Gledds,
SB
I've not been bitten by any of the venomous spiders. But I have seen the result and it's nasty. Lots of necrotic flesh.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know we had any poisonous spiders in England! I usually rescue spiders from the sink or bath but I'll think twice now. :(
ReplyDeleteWell that's a truly disgusting post! No, I didn't watch the abscess lancing . .too early in the morning. We have 'black widows' only we call them Redback Spiders but the colour of the stripe can change because they molt. Killed a heap of them when we were cleaning the shed last weekend. I didn't know Britain had poisonous spiders either . . then I'm unlikely to EVER pick one up with bare hands!
ReplyDeleteI think your posts are going to be the end of me! First, that spider! My house seems to be crawling with them this summer and they absolutely freak me out.
ReplyDeleteThen that absess! Why oh why did I decide to watch that? lol
I've got one thing to say - AAAAARRRRGH!
ReplyDeleteMy skin is still crawling from look at your pictures.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is terrified of Black Widow spiders. She'll drown them in bug posion and try not to get too close.
Me I can take my shoe off and killed one, and calmly stick it back on my foot and walk away. And I've done it too.
Janice~