288 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



gland in a dried state. In this form it seemed to retain all 

 its active properties, and to answer the purpose for experi- 

 ments equally well with the poison of the living animal. 



In these experiments the difference in the action of the 

 poison of the viperine snakes from that of the colubrine was 

 reaffirmed. The blood of animals killed by the former gen- 

 erally remained fluid after death, while that of animals killed 

 by the latter formed a coagulum. 



The immediate action of the poison was found to be due, 

 first, to arrest of the respiration by paralysis of the muscular 

 apparatus, by wdiich its function is carried on ; second, or by 

 rapid arrest of the heart's action, in cases where the poison 

 had found direct entry by a vein ; third, to a combination 

 of the two conditions; fourth, when the poison was in small 

 quantity, to secondary causes and pathological changes. 

 When the poison was introduced into the heart by direct 

 entry through a vein, death was almost instantaneous. 



When the virus is absorbed into the blood, either by inoc- 

 ulation or by application to mucous membrane, it affects the 

 cerebro-spinal nerve centres, the nerves and their distribu- 

 tion, more especially the motor nerves. The sensory nerves 

 are less and later affected, and the intelligence generally 

 latest of all, and slightly. The complete loss of the last is 

 mainly caused by the circulation of the venous blood, the 

 result of the impeded respiration. 



One important fact was shown by the experiments : name- 

 ly, that this poison acts when introduced into the stomach, 

 and when applied to the mucous or serous membrane. It 

 has generally been supposed, as the result of experiment, that 

 serpent virus could be introduced with safety into the stom- 

 ach, but this seems now to be disproved. 



A remarkable fact, previously announced, has been reaf- 

 firmed by these experiments : namely, that while serpent 

 poison acts readily upon harmless snakes, it has no effect at 

 all upon the poisonous species. Drs. Brunton and Fay re r 

 coincide with Dr. Mitchell as to the difficulty of arresting 

 the action of serpent poison after it has been fairly intro- 

 duced into the system. It must be remembered that in very 

 many cases, where a person is bitten, the poison is so much 

 diluted with the juices of the mouth, or is otherwise inert, as 

 frequently to have very little effect ; but the cases are very 



