408 THE. SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
called Capillaries, and vessels known as Lymphatics, which carry 
lymph. It is, therefore, obvious that if a ligature is applied as 
close above the punctures as possible, it will tend to delay the 
absorption of the venom and confine it to that region of the limb. 
Then, if another is applied higher up it will act as a second safe- 
guard. A third ligature would also tend to help. The use of 
two or three ligatures is highly desirable in cases of poisoning 
by all the species of snakes whose venom acts mainly upon the 
blood and its vessels—such snakes for instance as the Boomslang 
and the Adder family, which includes the Puff Adder, Horned 
Adder, Berg Adder, and Night Adder. 
I have recently arrived at this conclusion after experiments 
on animals. I found that by applying a ligature just above the 
site of the bite I was able to prevent the venom acting upon the 
muscles above the ligature. Now, for instance, if a man were 
bitten on the instep and he applied one ligature above the knee 
the muscles of the leg from the foot to the ligature would probably 
be charged with extravasated blood, which later might result 
in mortification of the limb. 
In applying a ligature, the object is to prevent the return 
of the venous blood and lymph from the site of the entry of the 
venom. The object is not to constrict an artery. 
In conclusion, it must be borne in mind that ligaturing and 
applying permanganate of potash is of little or no antidotal 
value if not applied within fifteen minutes of the infliction of the 
bite. In the majority of cases if not applied within five minutes, 
death will ensue, should a fatal dose of venom happen to have 
been injected. 
Ligaturing is at best but a first-aid, temporary measure, 
the object being to gain time for other remedial measures, such 
as the injection of anti-venomous serum, which is, as I have 
already mentioned in this book, the only antidote recognized 
by science, and the only one which I have found to be of value 
among all those with which I have experimented. 
THE SERUM TREATMENT—METHODS OF INJECTION. 
The next thing to do is to procure and inject an anti-venene 
serum with the least possible delay. 
With a suitable serum syringe inject the serum under the 
