22 



The doctor had a local reputation for the cure 

 of snake bite. 



The average number of deaths from snake- 

 bite in Ceylon is about 200 per annum, and when 

 the number of deaths that occur in the island from 

 other causes (about 125,000) is taken into con- 

 sideration, the mortality from snake bite seems 

 surprisingly low, especially as the movements of 

 the natives are practically noiseless, and he must 

 run considerable risk, when in the jungle, of 

 suddenly stepping on to a snake lying asleep in the 

 grass. This low mortality is, I believe, due to the 

 fact that, though snakes are numerous in Ceylon, 

 the percentage of deadly specimens is exceedingly 

 small. I consider the danger from snakes is much 

 exaggerated, and that the increasing spread of 

 rabies in the island is a far greater menace to its 

 population. 



Many antidotes have been tried for the cure 

 of snake-bite, but no infallible cure has as yet been 

 found. Amongst the best remedies at present 

 relied on is the injection of permanganate of 

 potash crystals into the wound, which, although a 

 very successful absorbent remedy, is reported to 

 have a poisonous effect on the blood. The injection 

 of strychnine has also been adopted with success. 

 When a "poison destroying" remedy is injected 

 into the blood a tight ligature should be placed 

 above the wound (the longer the poison has been 

 in the system the higher the ligature should be 

 placed. This prevents the carrying of the poison 

 to the lungs and heart by the blood, but it also has 

 the effect of concentrating the poison on the lower 

 portion of the limb, and although it may help to 

 save the patient's life, it is liable to cause severe 

 gangrene in the portion below the bandage. 



Innoculation, if successfully done, is a great 

 safeguard against the effects of a snake-bite, but 



