PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS — SECTION C. 33 



Permanganate of potash is a chemical antidote to snake 

 venom. If brought into actual contact with the poison it will 

 destroy it, but to be of any service it must be applied within a 

 few minutes of the infliction of the bite. The site of the punc- 

 tures must be well scarified and the permanganate salt rubbed in 

 freely. The limb must also be ligatured and a doctor summoned 

 at once. In no case should the ligature be allowed to remain on 

 the limb for more than an hour at the very longest, otherwise 

 there is grave danger of the part mortifying. The ligature should 

 be slightly loosened and instantly tightened up again. This may 

 be repeated at intervals of ten minutes until the ligature is dis- 

 carded. The reason for this is that the poisoned blood is allowed 

 to gain access to the general circulation in small quantities, thus 

 enabling the vital forces of the body the better to cope with and 

 eliminate it. 



Permanganate of potash cannot follow up the venom and 

 neutralize it in the blood. Its only beneficial action is the power 

 of destroying what venom still remains in the vicinity of the 

 wounds. ( )ften, in spite of prompt application of the permanga- 

 nate of potash to the scarified sites of the punctures inflicted by 

 the snake's fangs, sufficient venom is absorbed to cause death, 

 as was the case recently with a well-known young farmer who 

 was bitten on the ankle by a Mamba and died a few hours later, 

 in spite of the punctures being freely scarified and rubbed full of 

 permanganate of potash within three minutes of the infliction of 

 the bite. 



The ligaturing and treatment by permanganate of potash 

 must be regarded as a first-aid treatment only. The most efficient 

 after-treatment is the injection of an anti-venomous serum, either 

 sub-cutaneously or direct into the vein. The latter plan is usually 

 adopted in extreme cases where the symptoms are severe and 

 treatment has been unduly delayed. 



The serum is prepared by immunizing horses and mules to 

 the mixed venoms of the viperine and colubrine snakes, thus 

 making it polyvalent. It takes at least a year and a half to raise 

 the degree of immunity sufficiently high for the serum to have a 

 fair antidotal strength. This serum, if injected in sufficient quan- 

 tity, has the power of neutralizing the venom in the blood, and 

 rendering it harmless. The serum treatment of snake venom 

 poisoning is fully dealt with in the volume mentioned, as is also 

 the other forms of secondary treatment. It would therefore be 

 a waste of time for me to enlarge upon it here. 



