424 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
DEDUCTIONS. 
I have quoted the above extract in support of the claims I 
have made that the dosage of anti-venene sometimes recommended 
by those who issue the serum is altogether inadequate, and calcu- 
lated occasionally to lead to disappointing results. I am well 
aware that in the great majority of cases of snake bite in the 
human subject, nothing like a maximum dose of venom is injected. 
However, in a minority of cases a full charge of venom is injected, 
and a man should not be led to believe that 20 or 30 c.c. of anti- 
venene will cure with certainty. 
As I have mentioned before, anti-venene has its limitations, 
and everybody should know just what it is capable of. I 
have met scores of men who treasure up a phial of 10 c.c. anti- 
venene, confident that it will cure any case of snake bite. In 
the French Congo and elsewhere great numbers of people, 
including District Surgeons, believe that ro c.c. of anti-venene 
will cure most snake bites, and that 20 c.c. will cure the 
very worst cases. Numbers of lives have been lost in conse- 
quence. 
Although, since Martin and Lamb wrote up the results of 
their experiments with anti-venene, it has been increased some- 
what in strength or venom-neutralizing power, and is now 
polyvalent, yet in the light of a careful series of experiments 
which I have conducted, I am confident that it by no means 
possesses the high standard of venom-killing power some people 
claim for it. 
INSTRUCTIONS IN BRIEF FOR THE USE OF ANTI-VENOMOUS 
SERUM. 
(x) Anti-venene is the serum of horses highly immunized 
with Cobra and Viper venoms (Colubrine and Viperine). 
Its curative properties have been tested on animals against 
these venoms and found to be effective. 
(2) In case of either Cobra or Viper bite when the patient is 
at hand and before symptoms have set in, 25 to 30 c.c. of 
anti-venene should be injected under the skin into any part 
of the body where the skin is loose, such as in the region of 
the flanks. For preference inject into the loose tissues or 
