1896.] on Immunisation against Serpents' Venom. 109 



development, has thus failed to protect man against this ancient 

 enemy, legendary traditions, the tales of travellers and of residents 

 among nations and tribes existing outside of the civilisation of the 

 time, at least suggest that, by means apart from the use of remedies, 

 some measure of success may actually have been obtained. 



Many of these legends and statements are probably of great 

 significance, and, in connection with facts derived from experiment, 

 which to-night I have to describe, they possess a deep interest. 



We learn from these legends that from a remote period of time 

 the belief has existed that a power may be acquired by man of 

 freely handling venomous serpents, and even of successfully resisting 

 the poisonous effects of their bites. 



The Psylli of Africa, the Marsi of Italy, the Gouni of India, and 

 other ancient tribes and sects, were stated to have been immune 

 against serpents' bites, and this immunity has been explained on the 

 supposition that serpents' blood was present in the veins of the 

 members of these tribes and sects. 



In more modern times and, indeed, at the present day, the same 

 belief is expressed in the writings of many travellers. In ' A New 

 and Accurate Description of the Coast of Guinea,' by William Bosman, 

 published in 1705, an account is given of the great " reverence 

 and respect " of the negroes for snakes, worshipped by them as gods ; 

 in connection with which the following statements are made. " But 

 what is best of all is that these idolatrous snakes don't do the least 

 mischief in the world to mankind ; for if by chance in the dark one 

 treads upon them, and they bite or sting him, it is not more pre- 

 judicial than the sting of millipedes. Wherefore the natives would 

 fain persuade us that it is good to be bitten or stung by these 

 snakes, upon the plea that one is thereby secured and protected from 

 the sting of any poisonous snake " (p. 379). 



At Southern Africa, the Eev. John Campbell, in 1813, observed 

 that it was '' very common among the Hottentots to catch a serpent, 

 squeeze out the poison from under his teeth, and drink it. They 

 say it only makes them a little giddy, and imagine that it preserves 

 them afterwards from receiving any injury from the sting of that 

 reptile" (p. 401). 



Drummond Hay, in his work on Western Barbary, published in 

 1844, gives a description of the performances by members of a sect 

 of snake-charmers, called the Eisowy, who freely handled, and 

 allowed themselves to be bitten by serpents proved to be venomous 

 by a rapidly fatal experiment performed on a fowl. At the ter- 

 mination of the exhibition, the Eisowy, apparently as a usual part 

 of the performance, " commenced eating or rather chewing " a poison- 

 ous snake, " which, writhing with pain (to quote Mr. Hay's words), 

 bit him in the neck and hands until it was actually destroyed by 

 the Eisowy's teeth." He states that, on another occasion, at Tangier, 

 a young Moor, who was witnessing the performance of a snake- 

 charmer, ridiculed his exhibition as an imposture, and having been 

 dared by the Eisowy to touch one of the serpents, the lad did so, 



