I'roceediiuis of the Royal Socieiy of Victoria. Til 



l)ite at all. The stiyelniine treatment for real snake-bite was 

 not at all irrational. The poison could not be extracted 

 once it was absorbed, but the patient could be kept alive by 

 stimulants — alcohol, ammonia, or strychnine. The last was 

 a rational remedy if cautiousN^ used, and if the patient could 

 lie kept alive for a sufficient length of time the poison would 

 be thrown off b}^ the kidneys, or might be rendered inert by 

 the action of the liver. The injection of permanganate of 

 ))Otash was to his mind an irrational mode of treatment. It 

 interfered with the circulation, and it could only act on 

 the poison by meeting it on the spot were it existed and 

 destroying it in a chemical way, as any similai- substance 

 would" be destroyed in the test tube. It was, therefore, 

 haphazardous ti-eatment, as it was uncertain if the 

 permanganate would meet the poison. The time occupied 

 in injecting the ]»ermanganate might be utilised to better 

 advaiitage by excision of the bitten part, or by suction or 

 pressure. 



Mr. Lucas was of opinion that the best thing to do was 

 to keep the [tatient alive, if i)ossible, by sCimulants, until 

 the ])roteid was ox\'dised. 



Professor Haswkll agreed with Dr. Barrett as to the 

 i'allacy of statistics on this subject. He was of opinion that 

 the only light on the matter was to be obtained by means 

 of experiments on animals carefully conducted, with very 

 careful and accurate weighing and measuring of the poison 

 and the antidotes, and the effects of both. He was glad 

 to announce that there was a prospect of some results being 

 oVitained from experiments of this nature. Dr. Martin, 

 Demonstrator (jf Physiology at tlie Sydney University, 

 was engaged in researches as to the etfects of the poison of 

 the Australian snakes. 



Mr. Frost had some experience in estimating the time 

 occui)ied by the poison in circulating through the system. 

 He had caused a tiger snake to bite a rat, and the rat 

 was dead in a minute and a half. It was probable that 

 the poison was injected into the vein. The tiger snake 

 ))ossessed fully three times more poison than any other 

 snake. He had seen a tiger snake emit poison at the third 

 successive bite which would be sufficient to kill a small 

 animal. It was difficult in experiments with small animals 

 to estimate the amount of strychnine necessary to kill 



