46 PHYSIOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY 



affect the pigeon when injected alone. It appeared to cause slight stuj^efaction, 

 ■which passed off rapidly. 



Experiment. — About one-third of a drop of venom was treated with a drachm of 

 alcohol. The mixture, which was allowed to evaporate to about seven drops, was 

 placed under the skin of a reed-bird. It died in twelve minutes. When eight 

 drops of alcohol were used alone, the bird was a good deal stupefied for two hours, 

 but no serious result was observable. 



Exjjeriment. — About one-half of a drop of venom was mixed with about one 

 drachm of alcohol, and kept four weeks. The precipitate at the bottom was then 

 collected into a pipette, dried, redissolved in water, and thrown under the breast 

 skin of a reed-bird. Slight local evidence of poisoning was visible, but the bird 

 died within nine hours; an unusually long period. A repetition of this experiment 

 gave a more sudden result, the bird dying in two hours. 



A great number of observations similar to those just related convinced me that 

 mere mixture with alcohol did not render the venom innocent. 



As it appeared from Dr. Brainard's experiments, that in mingling the venom 

 with active reagents, he had used these in a diluted state, T made a number of 

 observations to learn whether or not these agents would affect the potency of the 

 poison when allowed to act on it without previous dilution. 



Experiment. — About one-third of a drop of pure venom was put upon a glass 

 slide, and three drops of strong nitric acid were dropped upon it. Coagulation 

 occurred, and in twelve minutes the acid was neutralized with liq. potassce, and 

 the mixture injected in three places into the breast and thigh of a reed-bird, which 

 died in three hours. The wound was red, and not dark as usual, a fact which may 

 have been owing to the presence of the nitrate of potassa. Tliis observation was 

 repeated twice with like results. 



Similar experiments were made with strong sulphuric and muriatic acid, and 

 with ammonia, chlorine-water, iodine, soda, and potassa. None of these agents 

 destroyed the virulence of the venom. It is to be observed that in each case the 

 contact was preserved during several minutes, and that the substances employed 

 were neutralized before making the several injections.^ 



' When venom was mingled with certain of these agents, such as iodine in solution, tannic acid, etc., 

 and then injected, the constitutional symptoms declared themselves as usual in the pigeons employed, 

 but the local phenomena were more or less wanting. With this latter fact Dr. Brainard has made us 

 acquainted, so far as iodine is concerned. 



