86 On the Poison of the Rattlesnake. 



placing the serpent in the cage, when it again bit him on the 

 palm of the same hand. Mr Drake now run out into the 

 court calling eagerly for a surgeon ; and, not finding water 

 readily, rubbed his hand upon the ice, which he found at the 

 door. Two minutes after, having procured a cord, he him- 

 self made a ligature on the arm above the hand. Notwith- 

 standing of these precautions, his agitation from the fear of the 

 consequences continued to increase till the arrival of Dr Pihorel. 

 The presence of this gentleman somewhat composed the feel- 

 ings of Mr Drake ; and he saw with eager joy the chafing-dish 

 and irons arrive, with which the wounds were to be cauterized. 

 This operation was instantly performed, and the patient took 

 internally half a glassful of olive oil. Drake seemed now to 

 have resumed his tranquillity. But in a few minutes more 

 symptoms made their appearance which rendered the case 

 hopeless, and he died in 8| hours after the bites. 



The body was afterwards opened. The internal organs ap- 

 peared healthy ; the brain and spinal chord were unaltered. 

 The membrane which covered these parts, however, was ob- 

 served to have a reddish tinge. The veins presented no trace 

 of inflammation : and the only appearance of derangement in 

 the system consisted in the veins of the affected side having 

 the blood curdled or clotted. 



The physicians of Rouen, where the accident happened, and 

 who examined the body, recommended that, in future, exhibi- 

 tors of dangerous serpents should be obliged to extract the 

 poison fangs, and be constantly provided with cupping-glasses 

 and instruments for cauterization ; and the commission of the 

 Academy coincide in that opinion. But it was remarked, 

 that the successive growth of these teeth would require them 

 to be removed every two or three months, or as soon as they 

 were reproduced. The commission recommended suction of 

 the wound as one of the most efficacious measures for the ex- 

 traction of poison ; and state that this, even when done by 

 the mouth, is attended with no danger to the operator, pro- 

 vided the mouth which sucks be sound. The ligature of a place 

 above the wound, imperfectly done in Mr Drake''s case, was 

 strongly recommended by Dr Magendie. 



The melancholy termination of this case induced many of 



