339 



Remarks on Snake-Poisons and their Remedies^ by Dr. J, 

 Hancock, Corr. Memb. Zool. Soc, ^c. Sjrc. 



ir is with the bites of serpents, as with that of the mad dog \ 

 hundreds of things are cried up as antidotes or remedied, 

 because not one bite in ten takes effect, at least to prove mOti- 

 tal, and whatever is applied obtains the name of an antidotal 



It has been determined, to a sufficient degree of certairity, 

 that not more than one case of hydrophobia occurs in twentjr 

 instances, of the bites of rabid animals (see Oxley's Medical 

 Journal, 1805, p. 33) ; and this refers to those only which hav^ 

 been proved to be really mad, independently of the vast num- 

 bers falsely represented as such. 



Many harmless serpents are reported venomous ; for instance, 

 the parrot-snake {Coluber viridissimus of Lin.), because it 

 resembles the poisonous Iguana serpent in its green colour ; 

 and also a small, but harmless snake, which is common at 

 Demerara, called Labaria, and thought to be exceedingly malig- 

 nant, being confounded with one of the same name which is 

 truly so. 



The coral snake, a species of amphisbsena, so called, is re- 

 garded by the Spaniards of the Orinoque as a serpent of deadly 

 venom. I had one of these, four or five years ago, in my house. 

 Finding it destitute of fangs, I allowed it to bite my hand, and 

 it drew blood. Had it been a Venezuelean bitten, he would 

 have resorted to the guaco ; and after that, he would make the 

 ^' sign of the cross," and swear, on every occasion, that he 

 owed his life to the guaco, after being bitten by " el coral — 

 un serpiente mas venenosoa que hai en el mundo." I after- 

 wards gave it to my children as a toy, and they carried it about 

 coiled round their arms and necks, when it had the appearance 

 of a bright coral necklace, intermingled with black bands. 



Regarding this species of serpent, I may, by-the-by, refer to 

 the Monthly Magazine for August, 1826, where the guaco is 

 set forth by a traveller in Mexico, as *' the best remedy for 

 the bite of the coral-snake, which is considered mortal if not 

 immediately cured " ! 



The reader will excuse these desultory observations. I 



