CROFT’S TINCTURE. 323 
CROFT’S TINCTURE. 
A full-grown Cape Jackal (Canis mesomelas) was bitten by a 
Cape Cobra on a portion of the thigh previously shaved. A 
rubber tube was thrust into the gullet of the animal and a dose 
of Croft’s Tincture, properly diluted, was injected into its stomach 
by means of a syringe. The site of the bite was at once scarified 
and the undiluted tincture was well rubbed in several times. 
The Jackal was dead in twenty-two minutes. 
Another Jackal was taken. A dose of Croft’s Tincture was 
pumped into the creature’s stomach. After five minutes’ interval, 
a Puff Adder was made to bite the animal on the bared thigh. 
The wounds were promptly scarified, and the undiluted tincture 
rubbed in three times. The Jackal died in seventy minutes. 
In February, 1911, Mr. Robert Parkin of Thornhill, near 
Port Elizabeth, was bitten on the hand by a Night Adder (Causus 
rhombeatus). He immediately sucked the wound, scarified it 
and applied pipe oil. Shortly afterwards Mr. Newton appeared, 
and administered Croft’s Tincture. Mr. Parkin was bitten in 
the morning. He slowly sank and died at 7.30 p.m., notwith- 
standing the administration of Croft’s Tincture. 
The following is the account of the incident, as related in the 
Eastern Province Herald. 
“On Tuesday morning, after breakfast, Mr. Robert Parkin 
was working in his garden, when a Night Adder bit him on the 
finger. He immediately sucked the wound, scarifying same, 
and applied nicotine. Shortly afterwards Mr. Newton appeared 
and administered Croft’s Tincture; Mr. Parkin appeared to get - 
better, but later in the afternoon his face and throat began to 
swell, and despite all efforts, he got worse, and expired at 7.30.” 
Taking half a spoonful of undiluted Croft’s Tincture I added 
three drops of snake venom, and put it aside for several hours. 
The tincture to which the venom had been added was then diluted 
with water, and a small amount of it injected into the thigh of a 
fowl which died of the usual symptoms of snake venom poisoning. 
Other tests of a similar nature resulted in the death of the 
creature every time. It is therefore apparent that the tincture 
in no way destroys the poisonous properties of the venom even 
when mixed with it in full strength. If Croft’s Tincture is 
incapable of destroying venom when mixed with it in this 
