364 VENOMS 



in the shoulder when in the act of placing her head on the pillow. 

 With a start of surprise she half rose and then lay down again. 

 It was only on being bitten for the third time that she made up 

 her mind to seek for the cause ; passing her hand beneath the pillow 

 in the darkness she touched the body of a snake and cried out. 

 Directly afterw^ards she pointed out to her husband, who had at 

 once hastened to her, the snake coiled up against the wall ; the man 

 killed the reptile and burnt it on the spot. According to him the 

 snake was about a metre in length, and as thick as all five fingers 

 put together. The woman had barely time to tell her husband 

 what had happened, for she speedily became unconscious, and was 

 in this condition when brought to the hospital. 



" On admission the following symptoms were observed : The 

 patient did not reply to questions put to her, the eyelids remained 

 closed, and the teeth clenched. On the right shoulder, a little on 

 the inner side of the deltoid prominence, two or three punctures 

 were distinguishable, marked by a small spot of coagulated blood. 

 The respiration was normal, but the pulse was feeble and thready. 

 "When a pledget impregnated with ammonia was held under her 

 nose the woman reacted, but immediately relapsed into the soporose 

 condition. 



"Two doses of antivenomous serum were at once injected, one 

 in each flank : the patient seemed scarcel}^ to feel the insertion of 

 the needle. The wound on the shoulder was then washed with 

 a fresh solution of hypochlorite of calcium, 1 in GO, and six in- 

 jections, each of 1 gramme, of the same solution were given 

 round the wound. The latter was covered with a pad of cotton- 

 wool saturated with the solution, and two more doses of serum 

 were injected into the flanks. As the result of this treatment, 

 which altogether took nearly half an hour, the woman began to 

 unclench her teeth, and to respond to her name. She was made 

 to swallow a few mouthfuls of very hot black coffee. A little later 

 she resisted when a fresh injection of serum was about to be given 

 her. After having taken a second cup of cofl'ee she sat up, opened 



