SERPENTS OF THE NORTHEASTERN STATES 37 



Several accidents have resulted from this undue familiarity. Camp in- 

 structors should be cautioned not to go too far in this direction, to in- 

 struct boys not to collect poisonous serpents, and not to harbor such 

 creatures for observation. A captive poisonous snake, except in the 

 care of a competent person, is a source of danger to the possessor and 

 those around him. 



Treatment of Snake Bite 



Through the formation of the Antivenin Institute of America 

 and the guidance of Dr. Afranio do Amaral, Chief of the Brazilian 

 government's Instituto Butantan, specific serum for the bites of poi- 

 sonous snakes is being regularly produced in the United States. This 

 product should be located at all points of particular hazard. 



It is made by injecting horses with small doses of snake venom, 

 the process continuing through a number of months until the animals 

 have developed a high degree of immunity. Blood is then obtained 

 from them, in small quantities, and is subjected to a number of proc- 

 esses. The red is separated from the serous portion, and the latter is 

 filtrated. Simply explained, the action of this serum, injected into the 

 human victim who has been bitten by a dangerous snake, is to neu- 

 tralize the poison of the reptile. Its effect is rapid and quite aston- 

 ishing in relieving the dramatically alarming effects of snake bite. 



Serum may be injected immediately after a bite, or up to the time 

 the victim has approached a condition of collapse. After collapse it is 

 usually too late to be properly taken up by the circulation and thus 

 neutralize the poison. 



The bite of a copperhead or massasauga is not ordinarily fatal, al- 

 though it may be very serious. Serum may be injected as late as a day 

 or even two days after the symptoms of great swelling have devel- 

 oped. It is far better, however, to inject it as soon as possible after 

 the bite, in order to neutralize the poison before it proceeds far in 

 destruction of tissue and the red cells of the blood stream. This pre- 

 vents an extensive necrosis of the bitten area. 



A large specimen of the timber rattlesnake may inject enough 

 poison to cause death within ten to twelve hours, and in a much shorter 

 time if a vein is actually struck, which is a rare but possible condition. 



As the bite of a poisonous snake is actually a simultaneous double 

 injection by two hypodermic teeth (the fangs), the measures to meet 

 the emergency should be quick and positive. A ligature of some type 

 should be bound a moderate distance above the bitten part, to prevent 

 the poison being absorbed into the upper limb. The ligature may con- 

 sist of a strip of cloth, a large handkerchief, or even a piece of heavy 

 cord. A rubber ligature is much the best. The ligature should be 



