OF THE YENOM OF THE RATTLESNAKE. 73 



the period of examination, the muscular and nervous irritability had entirely de- 

 parted. 



Experiment. — A 3'oung dog, weighing nine and a lialf pounds, of terrier breed, was 

 lowered into a box containing a fresh snake. The snake struck at him twice 

 without eflect, once striking to one side of the part aimed at, and the second time 

 miscalculating its distance. The third blow took effect, but I could not ascertain 

 the exact locality wounded. The dog cried out, as though in great pain. Within 

 five minutes he was trembling in every muscle. At the twentieth minute he was 

 so much better that I subjected him to a second bite, which took effect on the 

 neck in front, above the left shoulder. The dog at once lay down, then rose, and 

 passed water and solid feces, and, at the fifth minute from the second bite, fell on 

 his side, and vomited freely. The vomiting was instantly followed by general con- 

 vulsions, in which the limbs were extended and the head thrown back. Mean- 

 while, the heart was very feeble, the breathing laborious, and the pupil contracted. 

 The character of the respirations at this time was singular. Eight or ten rapid 

 respirations took place, and then none occurred until twenty seconds had elapsed. 

 The heart-beat, previously 180 to the minute, fell, at the fifteenth minute after the 

 second wound, to 80, and became remarkably feeble. At the seventeenth minute 

 the respiration stopped, and the heart pulse, though so weak as to be counted with 

 difficulty, rose to 156, falling again, at the twenty-fourth minute, to 58, when it 

 became indistinct through weakness. The pupils rapidly dilated. 



P. M. Section was delayed twenty-four hours. Post-mortem rigor came on first 

 about the fore legs and neck, and was complete four hours after death. It was so 

 strong as to snap a small cord with which I had drawn the legs of the dog apart. 

 The wound was the seat of an extravasation which had passed over the shoulder 

 and on to the neck. The vessels near it were filled with dark and difliuent blood. 

 The muscles near the wound were softened and readily torn. The heart contained 

 an abundance of blood chiefly fluid, with a number of small clots of very loose 

 structure, in the right side and somewhat less in the left cavities. In the pericar- 

 dium there was about an ounce and a half of bloody serum. The abdominal organs 

 were healthy, and the peritoneum contained only a little straw-colored serum. 

 The bladder was jjartially contracted, and held an ounce or two of slightly albu- 

 minous urine. 



The brain was normally firm, though somewhat congested, and its vessels were 

 distended with fluid blood and a few bubbles of gas. At the side of the long sinus 

 a little blood seemed to have soaked through all the membranes to the bone, but 

 there was no large quantity of blood present at this spot, and no coagulum. It 

 looked like a post-mortem stain. 



Experiment. — A white dog, weight nineteen and a half pounds, of unknown or 

 mixed breed, was exposed for a special purpose, to be bitten by several snakes, all of 

 whom had used their fangs or been robbed of venom within four days. The dog was 

 hit at least six times, and perhaps received some wounds which escaped notice. 

 Those found on removing the skin were in the neck and face, fore-shoulders and 

 hind legs. There were absolutely no marked symptoms in this case, except increas- 

 ing weakness, and consequent vomiting. The bowels also were moved and water 

 10 



