12 



authority of Government, veiy precise and ample rules are given for its ad- 

 ministration. 



It is there stated that " this medicine if promptly and properly used (in 

 addition to topical treatment) will inevitably cure people of the bite of all kinds of 

 snakes." To these instructions (a copy of which I accidentally noticed in the 

 -4 r^H^, when concluding these remarks) I need not further allude at present, as I 

 shall give at length in an appendix that portion of them which refers to tlie exhi- 

 bition of the drug ; and in order to complete the subject,shall there supplement 

 them by a few concise rales for the topical treatment. From the more general 

 accessibility howSver of spirits of various kinds, I expect they will, as a 

 rvde, be made use of in the first instance ; nor if it were so, would such treat- 

 ment have any bad effect, even if the administration of ammonia were 

 subsequently had recourse to. 



It is to be remarked that probably neither of these agents can be looked 

 upon, strictly speaking, as an antidote. They act not by rendering inert or 

 destroying the poison itself, but by rousing and exalting the nervous system, 

 and so by keeping the vital forces active, prevent the occurrence of that fatal 

 coma, which so depresses all physiological action as to render impossible the 

 elimination of the poison from the system. 



In Ceylon and elsewhere, great virtue is attributed by the natives to 

 the snake-stone, the application of which to the wound is believed to be a cure 

 even for the bite of the cobra. On reference however to Sir Emerson 

 Tennant's admirable work on Ceylon, it will be found that the stone possesses 

 none of the powers of an antidote, and is in fact quite inert. It varies in com- 

 position, but appears generally to consist of charred bone, sometimes of chalk, 

 or other absorbing substance, and it is jjossible when applied to the wound 

 that the poison, at least in part, may occasionally pass into its open tissue by 

 the law of capillary attraction. Again, it is by some believed that the 

 Mongoos (Herpestes VitticollisJ, an animal common in Ceylon and elsewhere, 

 which frequently attacks and destroys poisonous snakes, is able to do so with 

 impunity from making use of a certain herb which acts as an antidote. It is 

 assertsd that on the receipt of a bite, which of itself would prove quickly fatal, 

 the animal has only to retire to eat of this herb, and is then, Antseus-like, 

 immediately enabled with freshly-acquired health and vigor, to renew the 

 combat. Later observations however tend to throw considerable doubt on 

 this story of the mongoos, and the probabilities are it will eventually be 

 found, like many other tales of travellers, to be due not so much to a wilful mis- 

 statement of facts, as to a too hasty conclusion from erroneous and imperfect 

 observation. ^ 



But although no direct antidote has hitherto been discovered, it is very pos- 

 sible in the progress of scientific research that such a desideratum may yet be 

 found. In the meantime, if the means within our reach were but made use of 

 in a sufficiently prompt and intelligent manner, I am satisfied that very few, 

 if any, fatal cases would be the result of the bite of even the taost venonr.ous 

 snakes. 



APPENDIX. 



On being bitten, the patient or any one present, should immediately seize with 

 nis teeth the skin round the wounded part and suck vigorously ; a thin strong 

 ligature, such as cord, boot-lace,or a twisted strip of silk handkerchief, is then to 

 be procured and tightly applied as close as possible to the mouth above the bite. 

 The mouth is now to be removed, and the wounded part being firmly pinched 

 up, an incision is to be made through both fang-punctvires, and a second 

 incision, longer than this, between it and the ligature. Suction is then to be 

 cpntinued as before for twenty or thirty minutes, or till bleeding ceases — the 

 ligature may remain for an hour or so longer. 



If no assistant be present, and if the patient cannot reach the wound with 

 his mouth, let him with his finger and thumb pinch it well up, so as to 

 expose the fang-punctures, scarify as before, and after some bleeding has taken 

 place, remove the fingers and apply the ligature. If from its position he cannot 

 scarify the wound himself, let him hold it tightly pinched up and isolated till 

 assistance is available. 



If no other remedy be accessible, spirits of any kind may be taken in 

 qtiantities according to age every twenty or thirty minutes till symptoms of 

 faintness disappear. The Government of Ceylon however, authorises the 

 publication of the following (condensed) statement as to the value of ammonia 

 in these cases, after topical treatment has been applied : — 



1. " This medicine, liquor ammoniae, if promptly and properly used, will 

 inevitably cure people from the bite of all kinds of snakes ; and if those bitten 



