POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA. 353 



instructive. For lull details the reader is referred to the report upon 

 it pubisljed by Mr. Frederick W, True* after the occurreuce. A brief 

 account is, bowever, inserted here. 



The victim was Mr. Zeno Sbindler, an employee of the U. S. National 

 Museuui, aud tbe ofteuder a medium-sized Ulaps fulvins, received 

 from Mr. James Bell, of Gainesville, Fla. 



On June 1, 1882, between 2 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon, prepara- 

 tory to making the color sketch from the live snake which should serve 

 for a guide m paiuting the plaster cast to be made from it, Mr. Shin- 

 dler attempted to transfer the suake from the terrarium to a glass jar^ 

 holding it tightly by the neck. At the moment he let go, the snake's 

 tail touched the bottom of the jar, and before he had time to remove 

 his hand the snake fastened its fangs in his left index finger. The 

 snake did not strike like the rattlesnake, but bit hard closing the lower 

 jaw upon the finger, and held on so firmly that it had to be wrenched 

 off, by which operation one of the fangs was broken off in the wound. 



The first symptoms, which appeared immediately after the bite, 

 according to Mr. True, consisted of violent pain at the wound. The 

 symptoms continued without material change to 4:30 p. m. At that 

 hour the first symptoms of drowsiness or unconsciousness made their 

 appearance, and remained until the morning of the third day. 



At 7:30 p. ni. on the day of the bite Mr. Shindler felt so ill that he 

 deemed it prudent to call upon his physician, Dr. L. M. Taylor, of 

 Washington, whose treatment is given in full in Mr. True's report. 



In three days after treatment the patient felt in good health again. 

 About two months after the event, however, jiain set in once more at 

 the bitten finger, extending to the knuckles; and after a few days an 

 ulcer made its appearance above the latter. 



Mr. Shindler's troubles were not yet over, and as the periodical 

 recurrence of the symptoms have been very marked, I shall bring it 

 down to date (December, 1894 1). 



Mr. Shindler tells me that every summer, a few days before June 2, 

 the day he was bitten, the wounded finger commences to pain, mostly 

 at night. A sore is formed and soon breaks open, aud as a result the 

 nail invariably comes off. The attack lasts for about two weeks. 



Two years ago, liowever, and ten years after the accident, the recur- 

 rence was prevented by a remedy commonly used in Brazil against 

 suake bite, and brought to Mr. Shindler from that country by his friend, 

 Dr. A. de Bausset. The remedy consists of the leaves and stem of a 

 vine {2Iica)tia guaclin) an infusion of which was taken internally imme- 

 diately before the expected recurrence of the symptoms, with the result 

 that, although the pains arrived on time, no eruption took place. His 

 experience in 1893 and 1894 was similar. 



* American Naturalist, xvii, January, 1883, pp. 26-31. 



t Dr. Yarrow lias already reported tbe ease up to 1886 (Medical News, L, 1887, p. 624). 



H. Mis. 184, pt. 2 23 



