THE REASON WHY. 311 
Even when bitten by highly venomous snakes, it does not 
follow that death, or even serious illness, will result. If a 
poisonous snake should succeed in inflicting a full and complete 
bite, and if that snake should happen to be a healthy one of 
adult size, then if death does not take place, very serious con- 
stitutional effects are bound to follow. Often, however, the 
venom, or most of it, is absorbed by the clothing, or the skin is 
barely scratched. In other cases a partial bite with only one 
fang is inflicted. It is impossible to know for certain whether 
any alleged cure is what it claims to be or not, unless tested 
under proper conditions. The conditions must be such as to 
leave no possibility of doubt as to the identity of the snake used 
for the purpose. In experimental work one test is not sufficient. 
A series of experiments are necessary. 
It by no means follows that a fatal dose, or even a dose suffi- 
cient to cause noticeable symptoms of,poisoning, will be injected 
even if a snake should puncture the flesh with both fangs. Often 
the snake miscalculates his distance, and the venom squirts out 
before the fangs penetrate the skin. In these cases only a 
fractional dose is injected. At other times a fierce thrust is 
made which either misses or strikes the boot or clothing at an 
oblique angle. Like a flash a second blow is delivered. This 
time the fangs, perchance, are driven home. In such cases as 
these the venom would be driven out of the poison glands and 
shed by the first thrust, leaving very little for injection by the 
second bite. In fact I have often found that the masseter 
muscles which squeeze the glands and expel the poison, do not 
always respond a second time, unless there is a pause between 
the first and second bite. 
During the course of my experiments it was abundantly 
evident that a bite from a venomous snake did not always mean 
the injection of a fatal dose of venom. I will give one instance 
from scores in my note book. 
A large Puff Adder which had been in captivity five days, 
was held by the finger and thumb and allowed to bite the lower 
part of the thigh of a Cape Jackal which was as large as a full- 
grown Pointer dog. The snake drove both fangs into the flesh. 
It bit a second time, but only one fang penetrated halfway. 
Five minutes later a second Puff Adder was held to the thigh 
of the Jackal. At first it refused to bite, but when its nose was 
