402 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
with permanganate crystals and rub them vigorously in. A 
good plan is to spit on the hollow palm of your hand, pour some 
permanganate crystals into the fluid, work it into a paste and 
then rub it into the wounds. If a friend be at hand he must be, 
meanwhile, applying a ligature, or else you can be doing this 
while he attends to the scarifying and permanganate applica- 
tion. The ligature must be applied between the wound and 
the heart at a spot best calculated to compress the blood vessels 
(veins) and lymphatics. If bitten,on the foot or ankle-region, a 
ligature just above the knee is best. If on the forearm or hand, 
Fic. 147.—The ligature is best applied above the knee, because there is only one bone, con- 
sequently the pressure is more uniform all round the leg. The black crossed lines above 
the sock are the incisions over the site of the fang punctures. 
apply the ligature above the elbow joint. To tighten the ligature, 
a strong twig, a lead pencil, or a broken walking-stick, should be 
inserted in a loop in the ligature and twisted up as tightly as the 
patient is able to bear it. Tie the stick against the leg or arm 
as the case may be, to prevent it reversing itself after you let it 
go. If a syringe be handy, a teaspoonful of solution of per- 
manganate with water may be injected obliquely under the skin 
over the site of the fang punctures. 
It is a doubtful point whether the scarifying and application 
of the potash, or the ligature should be applied first. If the per- 
manganate can be applied almost instantly, then it is preferable 
