THE SNAKES 203 



birth or hatching. The story of the female snake swal- 

 lowing her young in time of danger is purely fallacious. 

 It has originated from observations of cannibal species 

 making a meal of young reptiles. 



Though poisonous snakes are common enough in many 

 parts of the world, the danger from them is not nearly 

 so great as imagined. In India, where a large part of 

 the population goes about bare-legged, the estimated 

 number of human lives lost each year is about 20,000. 

 Conditions are very different in the United States, 

 though the various species of Rattlesnakes, the Copper- 

 head Snake and the formidable Water Moccasin teem 

 over vast areas. Records of snake bites are exceedingly 

 rare in North America. 



Treatment of Snake Bite: With the progression 

 of medical surgery, the treatment of snake bite has been 

 much improved and the percentage of cures is substan- 

 tially greater. The discovery of anti-venine, by Dr. 

 Albert Calmette, of the Pasteur Institute, has produced 

 what might be called the first reliable antidote for the 

 terrible virus of the Elapines and the Vipers. Anti- 

 venine is manufactured along similar lines as the anti* 

 toxic serums for different diseases. A horse is repeat- 

 edly injected with small quantities of venom until 

 strongly immunized. When in that condition a quan- 

 tity of the animal's blood is drawn and the serous portion 

 separated ; the latter constitutes the valuable remedy. It 

 is now to be obtained in all parts of the world, where 

 branches of the Pasteur Institute have been established. 



Aside from the hypodermic injection of anti-venine — 

 if that is to be obtained — the treatment of snake bite 

 involves several vigorous and absolutely necessary meas- 

 ures. Almost without exception the bite is upon some 

 part of the arm or leg and the first thing to be done is 



