Present Position oj the Snukc-hite Controversy. 185 



From this mass of figures we arrive at a general conclusion 

 that snake-bite is one of the most insignificant causes of 

 death in our midst. For example, in the three years 1887- 

 88-89 more persons died in Victoria from hydatid disease 

 than were killed by snakes in Australia during the decade. 

 Anyone who cares to look through Mr. Hayter's tables will 

 find that the snake-bite contribution is a veiy sraaU one. 



In 187G, a Committee was appointed by the Medical 

 Society of Victoria which experimented in a methodical 

 way. The Committee consisted of Drs. M'Crea (Chairman), 

 T. M. Girdlestone, E. Barker, J. E. Neild, A. Bowen, P. 

 Smith, J. T. Dempster, and Professor J. D. Kirkland. The 

 particular value of the work done by this Committee lay in 

 the fact that it found, with antidotes then in use, the 

 recovery of a dog from snake virus injected hypodermically 

 was chiefly a matter of dosage. IMone of the dogs used 

 recovered when half a giain of fresh liquid poison was 

 injected. They further found that tiger snakes 3tt. to 4 ft. 

 long injected on an average from 1 to H grains of liquid 

 poison, a quantity believed by analogy to be bai'ely 

 sufficient to kill a man. One grain of tiger snake venom, 

 if injected fairly into the skin, would be approximately a 

 dangerous dose. It is, however, quite possible that a snake 

 driving its fangs through the skin finds it difiicult to 

 administer the full dose, if the snake bites through clothing, 

 tiie chances of a fatal issue are diminished. On the other 

 hand, in the case of some of the Indian snakes, allied in 

 chai-acter to the Austi'alian black and tiger snake, the dose 

 of poison injected amounts to from 10 to 13 grains. Com- 

 ment is needless. 



Furthermore, Dr. M'Crea, in 187G, forwarded a circular to 

 a number of medical practitioners asking them for infoima- 

 tion on the suV)ject of snake-bite. In answer, he found that 

 253 cases of snake-bite had occurred in the practice of a 

 number of medical practitioners, and that of tliese only 25, 

 or 10 per cent., terminated fatall}'. Various methods of 

 treatment had been adopted. 



It seems, therefore, that fatal results from snake-bite are 

 not common, and can scarcely take place unless the condi- 

 tions are favourable to the snake. Nevertheless, if snake-bite 

 were resfwusible for onl}' one death in the decade, one would 

 hail with pleasure the remedy which Avould obviate the 

 repetition of such an accident; and my object in referring 

 to these figures is not to under-rate the value of anj- remedy. 



