( ^35 ) 



* the bfood : and, mt without T'lme difficulty, by reafon of the minute quantity 

 ' of the liquor, and the hazard of experiments of this kind, fome curious friends, 



* and myfelf together, made the following obfervations ; 



* ABout naif an ounce of human blood received into a warm glafs, in which 



* w.rs five or fix grains of the viperine poifon newly ej vTred, was not vifibly 

 ' alrcied either in colour or confiftence : it then was, and remained undiftin- 

 ' guilTiable from the fame blood, taken into another glafs in which was no 

 ' poifon at all. 



' Thefe portions of blood were feverally mixed with acids and alkalis : the 



* empoifoned blood was, aner fuch mixtures, of the fame colour and confift- 



* ence as the other. 



' Spirit of nitre, fpiiit of fait, and juice of lemons, feverallv poured upon 

 ' the fanies itfelf, produced neither fermentation, nor any change of colour. 



* Salt of tartar run per deliquium, and the fimple fpirit of harrtiorn, dropped 

 ' upon the venoin, neither altered its colour, nor raifed any ebullition. 



' Syrup of violets mixed with the poifon did not change its colour either to 



* red or green. 



* The tinfture of heliotropium, that is, blue paper, was not altered by the 



* fanies ejeded upon it; and this, drying, ftill retained its yellowifh colour. 



' We caufed feveral animals, dogs, cats and pigeons, to be bit by an enraged 



* Viper ; which generally died, fome in a longer, others in a fhorter fpace of 



* time. But we conftantly obferved, that they all, immediately upon the bite, 

 ' (hewed with figns of acute pain, marks of their life being affeded, by 

 ' fickncfs, faintings, convulfions, &c. 



' The head of a large Viper lay three hours after it was cut off; it was per- 



* fedly flaccid and without motion. A pigeon, wounded upon the breaft with 

 ' the fangs cf this head, was prefently convulfed, &c. as from the bite of the 



* animal, and died in feven hours. 



' We contrived a fharp fteel needle to be made, crooked, in fhape not un- 



* like to the Viper's tooth, with a fulcus or hollow on the convex part, not far 



* from the point : into this, we put a drop of the venom, and with it wounded 

 ' the nofe of a young dog. It produced the ufual diforders of vomiting, purg- 

 ' ing, &c. but in a Jefs degree, and the dog recovered. It was remarkable, 

 ' that upon making the wound the dog cried but little, till the poifon came 

 ' into it; but then he howled, &c. in the fame manner as if bit by the viper 



* itfelf. But a pigeon pricked in the flelhy part of the breaft, by the fame 

 ' poifoned needle, fuffercd as from the bite, and died in about eight hours. 



