BITE oF THE RATTLE- ‘SNAKE, 10g 
the RATTLE-SNAKE which fo enieution occur in the les 
inhabited parts of our country, the number of thofe in 
which the poifon has been immediately applied to a blood= 
veffel cannot be inconfiderable. And yet, at prefent, how 
feldom does the bite of this animal prove mortal! What- 
ever may be the event of this opinion, I think we ought 
not to negle&t the application of the ligature, @c. even 
after we are confident the poifon has been thrown into a 
blood-veffel. Perhaps, in this cafe, the Aue, or fome 
other powerful fudorifick, may be of fervice. How far the 
ufe of milk, &c. will tend to the recovery of our patient,, 
T cannot decide with confidence. JF confefs, however, I 
fhould be unwilling to place much hopes in the admini- 
ftration of this fluid, although the pradcticeis very gene- 
rally adopted in moft of our new fettlements. 
I have now defcribed the modes of peventing the dan= 
gerous confequences of the bite of the RATTLE-SNAKE, 
as they are practifedin various parts of our country. At 
the fame time, I have ventured to throw out fome conjec- 
tures of my own, which I thought would not be impro- 
per, nor altogether unacceptable. As my object in prefent- 
ing this paper to the Philofophical Society is more utility 
than curiofity, I have avoided mentioning feveral other 
means which are daily employed for the fame purpofe, 
both in the countries to the Eaft and in thofe to the Weft 
of our mountains. I cannot, however, help obferving 
that fucking of the wounded part, is very generally prac- 
tifed by the Creeks, and fome other native tribes in the 
fouthern parts of our States, &c. as I have been inform- 
ed by my ingentous and worthy friend Mr. William Bar- 
tram, who received his information from the traders a= 
mong thefe people. It appearsfrom Mr. Catefby’s elegant 
work, which I have already quoted, that fome of thele 
tribes have learned the importance of cutting out the wound- 
ed 
