SNAKE STONES. DOF 
with blood, perhaps several times, and then carefully charred 
again.” 
Doctor Davy examined several of these Snake stones, and 
his opinion coincided with that of Professor Faraday. The 
monks of Manilla manufacture and supply Snake stones to Indian 
merchants, and the trade is very lucrative. 
The stones vary in composition. Some are of charred bone, 
or merely pieces of chalk, and others are made up of a composi- 
tion of vegetable matter. They are all more or less absorbent. 
I have not had an opportunity of testing these Snake stones, 
but experiments are quite unnecessary, for the field has already 
been covered by Doctors Fayrer, Brunton, Rogers, and other 
scientific men. It has been conclusively demonstrated that the 
application of Snake stones to the site of the bite of a really 
venomous snake was of no antidotal value, even when the site 
of the punctures was well scarified to allew of the stone adhering 
firmly. 
It is alleged that the stone, when applied to the site of the bite, 
will draw out the venom. This would prove so to a certain 
degree, if applied within a few minutes of being bitten, provided 
the stones were powerfully absorbent, but they are not so. The 
small quantity of blood which penetrates their substance has 
little or no influence for good. The advocates of Snake stones 
assert that it is not even necessary to scarify the flesh prior to 
applying the stone. That the stone has the power of drawing 
all the venom out through the two tiny punctures made in the 
skin by the snakes’ fangs. 
When a snake drives its fangs into the flesh it injects a 
quantity of venom which spreads out and is rapidly sucked up 
by the numerous absorbent vessels known as Lymphatics and 
Capillaries, and hurried away to the heart. If fully bitten by 
a large Cobra, enough venom is absorbed into the circulation 
within one minute to cause death, unless 30 to 50 cubic centi- 
metres of Anti-venine Serum are injected before paralysis of the 
nerve centres takes place. 
Nothing short of powerful suction with the mouth, a vacuum 
tube, or pump, is sufficient to draw out the venom in sufficient 
quantity to be of any practical value. 
Snake stones being rather expensive, they are naturally in 
the hands of the few, consequently if a man is bitten his friends 
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