386 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
however, that some people die of blood-poisoning even if an 
exceedingly small quantity of venom should enter their bodies, 
particularly if they are of intemperate habits. 
CouTYy AND LACERDA. 
Drs. Couty and Lacerda carried out a series of experiments 
with permanganate of potash and snake venom, and found that 
this salt not only destroyed the poisonous properties of the 
venom when mixed with it, but also proved an antidote when a 
one per cent. solution was injected into the tissues at the site 
of the injection of the snake venom. 
They also found that when both permanganate and venom 
were separately injected into a vein, no symptoms of poisoning 
followed; but if the venom got a start and had already pro- 
duced symptoms of poisoning the injection of permanganate 
into a vein had no curative effect. The same result occurred 
when venom was injected into the tissues and the salt injected 
after symptoms of poisoning had begun to manifest. Dr. 
Vincent Richards’ experiments and those of Drs. Fayrer, Brunton, 
and many others bear out the findings of Couty and Lacerda. 
However, it has recently been shown that the injection of 
solutions of permanganate of potash direct into the veins may 
cause serious harm if not death, therefore injections of this salt 
direct into the blood-stream are apparently unsafe. 
THREE IMPORTANT FACTS. 
Three very important facts to be remembered are: perman- 
ganate, if swallowed, has no effect at all upon snake venom 
which has got into the blood. If injected into a vein after 
symptoms of poisoning have set in, permanganate of potash 
has no antidotal effect. If injected or rubbed into the tissues 
at the site of the wound ten or more minutes after the infliction 
of the bite, it is of little or no use as an antidote. 
POWER OF PERMANGANATE OF POTASH. 
A large Cobra, Ringhals, Mamba, or Puff Adder is capable 
