DOCUMENTS 365 
her eyes, and recognised those about her. She immediately asked 
to go home, but was detained for some time longer. After being 
carried from the operating table to a bed, she was wrapped in a 
blanket ; a few minutes later profuse perspiration set in, and the 
patient felt so well that she was allowed to go. 
“On the following day the husband came to thank us, and stated 
that his wife had quite recovered, and that, while she had been 
unable to sleep for the remainder of the night, it was rather from 
fear caused by what had happened than in consequence of the 
pain.” 
Case II.— We feel it our duty to relate in detail the following 
case, having regard to the peculiar circumstances under which it | 
took place. 
Coupin, the son of Ponnin, aged 25, living at Carouvadicoupom, 
near Pondicherry, is a snake-charmer, and one of those who regu- 
larly supply us with venom. In the course of July, 1902, this 
man pointed out to us a shrub! growing in one of the alleys of 
the hospital, to which he attributed so marvellous a power against 
the bites of poisonous snakes, that he offered to make a cobra bite 
him in our presence, little as we showed any desire to witness such 
an exhibition. We allowed him to talk, not wishing to encourage 
such an act of bravado. 
However, on July 23 he returned to the charge, and, as we 
were leaving the hospital accompanied by our colleagues, he showed 
us a cobra which he had just caught, and declared himself ready 
to carry out the proposed experiment there and then. In the face 
of so much confidence and sang-froid, and, apart from this, being 
interested in learning the justification for the reputation for 1im- 
munity possessed by Hindu snake-charmers, we thought we ought 
not to oppose this voluntary test. 
Coupin then turned out from the chatty in which it was im- 
prisoned a medium-sized cobra, and amused himself for a few 
' Polygala telophioides, Will. 
