2 VENOMS 
to man and to mammals in general. The study of their venom, 
too, is of considerable interest, since it should lead to the quest 
of means of protection sufficiently efficacious to preserve us from 
their attacks. 
Venomous reptiles are not always easy to distinguish from 
those devoid of any inoculatory apparatus. For this reason both 
classes alike have at all times inspired mankind with a lively dread, 
which is displayed among the various races in legends and religious 
beliefs. 
In ancient days the cult of the snake occupied a prominent 
place. In Genesis the serpent is the incarnation of the Evil One, 
tempting and deceitful. In Greece it was the symbol of wisdom 
and prudence. In Egypt it was associated with the Sacred 
Scarabæus and the flowers of the lotus to represent Immortality ! 
At Rome epidemics ceased when the snake sacred to Æscu- 
lapius was brought from Epidaurus. 
According to Kraff, the Gallas of Central Africa consider the 
snake as the ancestor of the human race, and hold it in great 
respect. 
In India the cult of the Seven-headed Naja, or serpent-god, 
was formerly almost as flourishing as that of Buddha. It is still 
regarded as a crime to kill a Cobra when it enters a hut; prayers 
are addressed and food is offered to it. Its presence is an omen 
of happiness and prosperity; it 1s believed that its death would 
bring down the most terrible calamities on whomsoever should 
have brought it about, and on his family. 
Nevertheless, in the Indian Peninsula alone, the Cobra, the 
Krait, and a few other extremely poisonous species of snakes cause 
every year an average of 25,000 deaths. The number of fatalities 
from the same cause is likewise considerable in Burma, Indo- 
China, the Dutch Indies, Australia, Africa, the West Indies and 
Tropical America generally. 
The temperate regions of the globe are less severely affected ; 
