IPECACUANHA, LIQUOR POTASSA, CAUSTICS. 331 
would have been regarded as an enemy of mankind, especially 
so if he made his opinions public. The faith in this supposed 
cure waned as the years went by. Dr. Fayrer, the great experi- 
menter with Indian snakes, made full and complete experiments 
with this eau-de-luce, and found it to be quite worthless. It did 
not delay death in the slightest degree. Experiments which I 
have made with South African snakes showed that it was of no 
antidotal value. The animals died just as quickly as when no 
so-called cure was given. If you have eau-de-luce in your house, 
use it as smelling salts, or put it in your private collection of 
curiosities, but do not rely upon it to cure cases of snake bite. 
A European boy named J. Jackson was bitten on the calf 
of the leg by a Black Mamba at Umgeni, near Pietermaritzburg. 
A. E. Gayer, Esq., who was present, gives me the details which 
are as follows: ‘‘ The boy ran a little way after being bitten. 
Two bottles of eau-de-luce were administered to him according 
to directions. He suffered agony at first until mortification 
started to set in. He died peacefully the evening of the day he 
was bitten.” 
IPECACUANHA, LiguoR PoTASs#&, CAUSTICS. 
Ipecacuanha has long been considered an excellent remedy 
for snake bite. It has been carefully tested and found to have 
no antidotal value. It may possibly be of some slight service in 
secondary treatment, owing to its stimulating effects upon the 
liver, bowels, and kidneys. It, however, exerts a depressing 
influence upon the heart, which causes a slowing down of the 
circulation. When administered to animals into which snake 
venom has been injected, it seems to hasten death somewhat. 
Ipecacuanha is the dried root of Psychotria ipecacuanha. 
The active principle is in the bark; the inner or woody part 
contains but little. It is obtained from South America. 
Liquor potassz is a solution of potash. This substance has 
long been believed to have a curative influence in cases of snake 
bite. It has in the past been very extensively used in India 
and elsewhere. Applied to the incised wounds it was supposed 
to destroy the vitality of the part, and kill the snake venom. 
Dr. Fayrer tested liquor potasse as a curative agent against 
the bites of Indian venomous snakes. After a long series of 
