216 The Case of a Man who died 



take a drachm of Peruvian bark in port wine, every two 

 hours. On the 22d the swelling was gone, hut the dis- 

 charge was considerable. From this time the man gradually 

 but slowly recovered, with the loss of the use of his fore- 

 finger, which remained permanently extended, and some of 

 the other fingers were affected in a less degree. 



In this case, the swelling of the arm was slower in 

 coming on, and less extensive; the pain running up to the 

 axilla, which preceded it, was mistaken for the effect of 

 absorption. 



In the year 1782, while in the island of St. Lucia, I made 

 the following experiment : 



A spotted dark-coloured snake, about two feet in length, 

 having the poison fangs on each side double, with the cor- 

 responding surfaces grooved, so as to form a canal for the 

 poison, was put into a square tin box, open at the top, in 

 which a half-grown rat was confined, The rat expressed* 

 great terror, and remained crouching in one corner of the 

 box, with its eyes fixed on the snake, who lay coiled up at 

 some distance, they were allowed to remain a few minutes 

 in this situation: I then raised one end of the box, which 

 caused the snake to slide along the smooth surface, till it 

 came in contact with the rat, which it immediately bit. 

 The rat died in a minute after the bite. I removed it im? 

 mediately from the box by means of a pair of long forceps. 

 The wounds made by the fangs were marked by two specks 

 of blood immediately below the shoulder blade. On di- 

 viding the skin with a scalpel, the cellular membrane under 

 it was found entirely destroyed : the muscles were detached 

 from the ribs, and from a small portion of the scapula. 

 The parts immediately surrounding the bite were exceed- 

 ingly inflamed; as far as I could trust to memory, the ap- 

 pearances very much resembled* those produced on the 

 muscles of a dog's thigh, by the application of white 

 arsenic, in consequence of which, death ensued in about 

 sixteen hours. 



Fifteen hours after the death of the first, a second rat. 

 was bitten by the same snake. This rat was much irritated, 

 and bit the snake in the neck, so violently, that the latter 

 died in about ten minutes. The rat con turned, very lively 

 for about six hours, and then, died. On examination after 

 death, the bite was found to have been inflicted on the left 

 side of the navel, and the abdominal museles at that part 

 were in the same state as in the other rat, but in a less der 

 gree. 



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