EXPERIMENTAL VENOM POISONING IN ANIMALS 117 
Lamb demonstrated that the venom of Daboia russellii, when injected 
subcutaneously into pigeon, kills the bird in a very short time, from 75 seconds 
to 10 minutes. In these cases the post-mortem examination revealed the 
constant presence of extensive and solid intravascular clotting in the auricles, 
and sometimes in the right ventricle of the heart, and in the pulmonary vein 
and portal system of veins. If the dose exceeded many times a minimal 
lethal dose it did not change the result much, except that the larger the amount 
of venom injected the more rapidly the symptoms appeared, and the sooner 
death took place. The thrombosis was more extensive and more solid than 
in those cases in which only one minimal lethal dose was given. 
The results obtained by intravascular injection of this venom into monkeys 
do not essentially differ from those obtained in the foregoing cases. Death 
often took place in a minute after the injection; in such instances there is 
much gasping, convulsions are constant, and the pupils are dilated. Solid 
clots are usually seen in the pulmonary vessels, portal veins, superior and 
inferior venee cave, aorta, and sometimes the right cardiac ventricle. If fluid 
blood is present it usually remains uncoagulated. The amount of venom 
given in this series was from o.oor gm. to 0.0025 gm. and the time of death 
varied from 1 to 5 minutes. 
In rabbits exactly similar symptoms and final results have been obtained 
by Lamb, but he observed more pronounced convulsions and gasping. The 
amount of the venom sufficient to produce fatal intravascular clotting is as 
small as 0.000075 gm. to 0.0001 gm. given intravenously. Death results 
within 7 to 8 minutes. 
Lamb described the chronic form of daboia toxication. In monkeys there 
are symptoms local and general. Severe hemorrhages occur around the 
point of injection, and considerable cedema at the dependent part sets in 
within a few hours. In some cases the local conditions undergo resolution, 
but in other cases the parts slough, leaving an irregularly shaped ulcer. In 
some other cases, rapid gangrenous conditions follow the hemorrhage and 
the animal dies of secondary bacterial infection. The general symptoms 
are a state of depression and lethargy, loss of appetite, clammy skin, consider- 
able cardiac depression, anemia and in a few severe cases hematuria, and 
bloody discharge from the rectum. (Edema may sometimes be observed in 
penis or scrotum. 
Neither convulsion nor paralysis has been observed in these prolonged 
poisoning cases. When death occurred in 24 to 48 hours after the injection 
of venom, it was noted that rigor mortis was completely absent. A marked 
diminution of coagulability is constantly noticed. 
All these symptoms are sought by Lamb in the deficiency of coagulability 
of blood on the toxicated animals. In order to establish the relation between 
the diminution of coagulability of blood and the degree of illness he examined 
the coagulability of the blood of a poisoned monkey and found that when the 
blood recovers its coagulability the symptoms disappear. 
