Darcia Swanson, age 12, of Duluth, Minnesota, for her question:

Is it true that a camel bite is poisonous?

So far as we know, only one of the mammals has a poisonous bite. He is a ferocious little meat eater and not related to the big, slow going camel    who is a strict vegetarian. A severe nip from Mr. Camel may produce an infected wound, but the bite itself is not poisonous.

Certain animals produce sacs of poisonous chemicals at the base of their teeth. They have special teeth to inject or guide doses of these dangerous fluids into the flesh of victims they bite. The poisonous snakes are well known for their ability to inject such deadly doses. The Gila monster is a lizard who injects poisonous chemicals with his toothy bite. In the mammal world, the tiny shrew has a similar built in device to protect himself from his larger enemies. He seems to be the only mammal animal who has what may be called a true poisonous bite. That is, he manufactures his own chemical ammunition and has the special teeth to inject it into his victims. The camel does not have this ability.

However, as so often happens, this strictly scientific information seems to contradict many provable experiences of our everyday lives. We know with sad regret that a rabid dog can bite and infect people and other animals with the dreaded disease of rabies. Actually, his bite merely transfers the germs of his pitiful infection to his victims. We also know that the bite of a healthy dog may produce an infected wound. So may the bite of a bear, a cat, or even the sting of a bee.

These wounds, however, are not poisoned by chemicals manufactured by the offending animals. They are infected either by germs that normally teem in the mouths of all animals or by germs that enter the wound later. Naturally, it is wise to treat any bite at once with germ killers. And naturally, a sensible person learns which animals have truly poisonous bites and trots such a wound over to be treated by a doctor.

The haughty camel appears to carry out his burdensome duties with unlimited patience, but the dignified fellow does have his limits. Camel drivers expect him to grunt and grumble while they load his back. If the burden is too heavy, he just refuses to budge. And if he is whacked or cruelly treated, he takes aggressive action. A favorite trick is to spit a gob of his slimy green cud right in the face of his tormentor. Sometimes he gets provoked enough to bite. The wound should be treated at once because his teeth and mouth teem with assorted germs from his vegetarian food. These germs may cause poisonous infection in an open wound. But no camel made poi¬sonous chemicals are injected with the bite.

Mr. Camel is one of mankind's greatest animal friends. But human nature, being what it is, does not always treat its true friends the way it should. Mature minded camel drivers treat their camels fairly because they want to. Their camels reward them with patience and hard work. A slow witted driver may try brutality. This fellow is rewarded with a spit of foul stuff in the face or a severe bite that may become infected. He also learns that the camel has a memory plus a tendency to carry a grudge. The bite or the spit in the eye may not catch up with him until long after he has mistreated the camel.