404 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV. 



calling the attention of Government to the necessity of assistance in col- 

 lecting live venomous snakes, for the purpose of extracting their poison. 



Cobra Venom— 

 1, Acts on central nervous 

 system, i.e., the brain and 

 spinal cord. This causes 

 paralysis of the limbs, 

 then of the muscles of 

 respiration. The heart 

 continues to beat long 

 after the breathing has 

 stopped. 



Acts on the blood also, 

 causing a breaking up of 

 the red corpuscles of the 

 blood, and a lengthening 

 of the time the blood 

 takes 10 coagulate. 1 hese 

 physiological effects are 

 of little importance as 

 far as the symptoms of 

 cobra venom intoxication 

 are concerned. 



3. Causes death in from 3 to 



6 hours after the bite Is 

 inflicted as a rule, though 

 this period may be as 

 long as a day or two. 



4. Does not produce symp- 



toms immediately,— an 

 interval, generally of an 

 hour or two, elapsing 

 before they appear, dur- 

 ing which treatment 

 may be applied. 



Breaks up general tissue 

 cells, such as those of the 

 kidneys, liver, etc. Thi3 

 is a property common to 

 all the venoms worked 

 with up to date. 



Daboia Venom— 

 1, Does not produce definite 

 symptoms pointing to 

 direct action on the 

 nervous system. Whe- 

 ther there is any action 

 at all, is now being 

 worked out. 



8. Acts on the blood plasma, 

 the corpuscles, the walls 

 of the small blood vessels 

 (capillaries^ and the 

 heart. In acute cases 

 the symptoms produced 

 are, giddiness followed 

 at <>nce by violent con- 

 vulsions and gasping 

 for breath, death result- , 

 ing in a few seconds. 



The cause of death in 

 these cases * is from 

 clotting of the blood in 

 the pulmonary arteries 

 and some of the other 

 bloud vessels. 



When the dose is not 

 large enough to cause 

 this intra vascular 

 clotting, death (a) may 

 ensue in a few hour's 

 from failure of the heart 

 or (b) may follow after 

 a longer time, from the 

 distinctive action of the 

 poison on the red cor- 

 puscles, and capillary 

 walls allowing the blood 

 to exude, and producing 

 oedema and haemorrhage) 

 in many parts of the 

 body, and its further 

 action in preventing 

 the proper coagulation 

 of tne blood. Death is 

 also frequently due to 

 bacterial invasion caus- 

 ing septicoemia, malig- 

 nant redema, etc. Tins 

 invasion of bacteria is 

 due to the fact that 

 locally, at the site of 

 inoculation, the tissues 

 die and a large slough 

 forms. 



The corpuscles are 

 largely destroyed and 

 the fluid part of the 

 blood stained red by 

 their colouring matter. 



Other cells of the body 

 are also broken up, as 

 with other snake 

 venoms. 



Banded Krait Venom — 



1. Acts on the central 



nervous system much in 

 the same way that cobra 

 venom does. Pr< fuse 

 salivat'On and vomiting 

 is common. Paralysis 

 with twitching of mus- 

 cles conies on, and death 

 ensues from paralysis of 

 respiration in two or 

 three days. 



2. Acts on the blood in 



almost the same way as 

 Daboia venom does (*/ 

 iiijrcttrt in. very large 

 doses), causing death in 

 a few niinutes from 

 extensile clotting of the 

 blood in the pulmonary 

 arteries and right side of 

 the heart. The red cells 

 of theb lood, however, are 

 only acted on in a quiie 

 minor degree, and no 

 syniptoxs observable 

 during life are produced 

 by this. 



3. Or serious symptoms may 



not come on for some 

 days, but there is loss of 

 appetite and weight, 

 followed by great depres- 

 sion, marked diminution 

 in the urinary secretion, 

 slight failure of respira- 

 tory functions, irregular 

 elevations of temperature, 

 great muscular Weakness 

 aud paralysis. 



Purulent di-charges from 

 eyes, nose and rectum are 

 also seen. 



Death ensues in from 6 to 

 12 days. In these cases 

 it has been found that 

 there occurs '■ a well 

 marked primary degene- 

 ration of the cells of the 

 central nervous sys- 

 tem." (1) 



*Note— This action will probably only be seen in experiments on animals ; under natural Conditions 

 the amount of venom injected will be insufficient to produce such extensive clotting. It 

 results when a sutlicient amount of venom is injected into the blood stream directly. 



