EXPERIMENTS ON FOWLS. 417 
Experiments with anti-venene on animals bitten by Cobras, 
or injected with their venom, were less satisfactory, the reason 
being that the venoms of these snakes act so rapidly on the 
nerve-centres of the smaller animals, destroying life before the 
serum could combine with and destroy the poison. If four drops 
of Cobra or Mamba venom were mixed with 25 c.c. of the anti- 
venene and injected into the leg of a dog, or an average-sized 
monkey, it did not avert a fatal issue. If a Cobra or Mamba 
(green variety) delivered one full bite and was allowed to retain 
its hold for a few seconds, the injection under the skin of two 
doses, viz. 50 c.c. of anti-venene, rarely prevented death. 
From the results of these and many other experiments, I 
would strongly advise that 30 to 50 c.c. (cubic centimetres) of 
anti-venene be injected in these cases into the human subject. 
In fact, in the treatment of very serious cases of Cobra, Ring- 
hals, and Mamba bite, as much as I00 c.c. (roughly 34 ounces) 
may be injected. In the great majority of cases I have no 
doubt that 50 c.c. or even 25 c.c. would save the life of the 
bitten person, as it is not often that a snake is able to deliver 
a full bite and 1aject a maximum amount of venom. However, 
it may do so, and it is as well for everybody to know, that 
50 c.c. of anti-venene may possibly not suffice to effect a 
cure. 
EXPERIMENTS ON FOWLS. 
As already mentioned, the anti-venene which is especially 
strong in its power of neutralizing Puff Adder venom, was again 
experimented with on fowls. I made a freshly caught adult 
Puff Adder bite through a piece of sheet rubber stretched over 
the mouth of a wineglass, and thus obtained exactly six drops 
of venom, absolutely pure. I mixed this with 25 c.c. of anti- 
venene which had just been received from the laboratory and 
was in the freshest possible condition, being perfectly transparent. 
The mixture was thoroughly stirred up and allowed to stand 
for one hour. It was again stirred up and divided into two 
equal parts. One part was injected into the muscles of a full- 
grown healthy fowl, namely, in both thighs and under one wing. 
The other half was injected in a similar manner into another 
fowl. 
aos 
