HOW VENOM GETS IN AND OUT OF THE BLOOD 307 
How VENOM GETS IN AND OUT OF THE BLOOD. 
The nourishment and other substances held in solution in 
the blood pass out through the walls of the microscopically 
small capillary blood vessels into the lymph by means of which 
they reach the cells to nourish, paralyze or kill them, according 
to the nature of the substance. Now, suppose you take a glass 
bottle without a bottom. Over the bottom part stretch a piece 
of bladder and tie it securely. Make a solution of sulphate of 
copper and place it in the bottle. You will find it will not ooze 
through the bladder membrane. 
Now place the bottle in a glass of water. 
Presently you will observe the water be- 
coming blue. This shows that the copper 
sulphate is oozing through the bladder into 
the water. This is called Osmosis, and 
shows exactly how nourishment, poisons, 
etc., pass through the walls of the blood 
vesseis into the watery lymph by which 
they are surrounded, and reach the cells 
to rebuild or poison them. At the same 
time the water from outside will ooze 
through the membrane over the bottom 
of the bottle, and mingle with the contents, 
until the solution inside and outside the 
bottle is of the same density. Now, when 
a snake discharges its venom into the 
watery lymph amongst the biood vessels 
under the skin, a portion of it czes == 
through the walls of the tiny capillary ~ ee 
blood vessels and enters the blood-stream. 
It is carried along with the blood, and if 
it be Viperine (Adder) venom, it will at once begin to attack the 
capillary walls and the blood, dissolving the red colouring matter 
out of the red corpuscles, and otherwise breaking it up, causing it 
to ooze out through the blood-vessel walls and spread in dark 
bluish-black patches under the skin, and amongst the muscles. If 
it be Cobra venom it will ooze out through the walls of the blood 
vessels, and be absorbed by the cells of various nerve centres 
in the brain and top of the spinal cord, and poison them. 
Fic. 129. 
