THE USE OF CALMETTE'S ANTIVENENE IN SNAKE-BITE. 407 



poisonous snake is specific for the venom of that genus and is inactive 

 for the poisons of other genera. It still remains to be shown if a serum 

 prepared with a single venom would be specific for the venom of that 

 species, that is to say, inactive for the poisons of other species of the 

 same genus." 



Since this was written, Captain Lamb tells me he has been able 

 to test antivenene prepared with pure cobra venom, against the venom 

 of the king cobra (Naia bungarus), and that to a very large extent 

 it appears to be inactive, though, as we have seen, useful for bites by 

 the cobra {Naia tripudians), a different species of the same genus. 



This, if confirmed by further research, will go to prove that the 

 antivenomous serums produced up to the present are absolutely specific, 

 and only useful for the particular poison which called them into 

 existence. 



You will realise, then, that the question of a cure for bites by Indian 

 snakes is not a simple one, but that it will require perhaps years of 

 patient research for its elucidation, and not till such work is accom- 

 plished can we hope to have placed in our hospitals a cure for the 

 victims of these dreaded accidents. 



REFERENCES. 



1. Some observations on the poison of the banded krait (Bungarus 

 fasciatus) by George Lamb, M.D., (Glasg.), Captain, Indian Medical 



Service (now in course of publication by the Government of India). 



2. Calmette : Le Venin des Serpents. Paris, 1896. Notice sur 

 le Serum Antivenimeux et sur le Traitment des Morsures de Serpents. 

 Lille, 1901. 



3. A Preliminary Note on the Serum-Therapy of Snake-bite by 

 Frank Tidswell, M.B., Ch.M., D.P.H., Principal Assistant Medical 

 Officer of the Government, and Microbiologist to the Board of Health, 

 N.S.W., Sydney. Australasian Medical Gazette, April 21st, 1902. 



4. Specificity of Antivenomous Sera. By George Lamb, M.D., 

 (Glasg.), Captain, I. M.S. No. 5, Scientific Memoirs by Officers of the 

 Medical and Sanitary Departments of the Government of India. 

 Calcutta, Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, 

 India, 1903. 



5. Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology; Edinburgh and Lon- 

 don, 1902, Volume VIII, page 1. 



