Fishes and fishing - 1858 Author:William Wright Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Galen was born A.d. 131, and died 201, consequently flourished at Rome during the reign of the Emperor Severus, who was born A.d. 146, succeeded to the throne A.... more »d. 192, and died A.d. 211. Oppian (mentioned in the introduction) was born A.d. 183, and died A.d. 213 ; probably recited his Halieuticks, when he was about twenty-five, before the Emperor and his son Caracalla, aid he mentioned the cramp-fish, in Book i. verse 151, as causing "numming pains." In Book ii. verses 109 to 152, in giving an account of the arts of this fish to obtain its prey, says, " One touch of hers dams up the vital flood, Contracts the nerves, and clots the stagnate blood." And in Book iii., verses 201 to 212, describes the effects on the angler who happens to hook this fish, even through the communication of the line and rod only, " as poisonous," as " binding up the spirits," as " softening every joint," and "congealing the blood." ! It certainly appears very extraordinary, that Galen, who wrote so extensively, and had only recently died, (i.e, about seven years) should have had a " remedial agent" which he patronised, stigmatized before the emperor, and with his royal approbation. Sir J. Richardson may very probably be correct as , Seep. 1S9. to there being a number of genera of electric fish ; look at the " Catalogue of Apodal Fish in the British Museum,"—the article "Anguillidae"—the eel species; no doubt these are for the most part hybrids. In the "Annual Eegister," of 1796, referring to Bancroft's " Natural History of Guiana," then just published, is the observation, that these torporific fish have no scales. I am not aware whether they have been examined microscopically. The natives in those parts where the gymnoti are found, avoid as much as possible receiving a shock from them....« less