POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA. 353 



instructive. For full details the reader is referred to the report upon 

 it i)ubisbed by Mr. Frederick W. True* after tlie occurrence. A brief 

 account is, however, inserted here. 



The victim was Mr. Zeno Shindler, an employee of the IT. S. National 

 Museum, and the offender a medium sized Elaps Jtilvius, received 

 from Mr. James Bell, of Gainesville, Fla. 



On June 1, 1882, between 2 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon, prepara- 

 tory to making' the color sketch from the live snake which should serve 

 for a guide in painting the plaster cast to be made from it, Mr. Shin- 

 dler attempted to transfer the snake from the terrarium to a glass jar 

 holding' it tightly by the neck. At the moment he let go, the snake's 

 tail touched the bottom of the jar, and before he had time to remove 

 his hand the snake fastened its fangs in his left index finger. The 

 snake did not strike like the rattlesnake, but bit hard closing- the lower 

 jaw upon the finger, and held ou so firmly that it had to be wrenched 

 oft', by which operation one of the fangs was broken off in the wound. 



The first symptoms, which appeared immediately after the bite, 

 according to Mr. True, consisted of violent pain at the wound. The 

 symptoms continued without material change to 4:30 p. m. At that 

 hour the first symptoms of drowsiness or unconsciousness made their 

 appearance, and remained until the morning of the third day. 



At 7:30 p. m. on the day of the bite Mr. Shindler felt so ill that he 

 deemed it prudent to call upon his physician. Dr. L. M. Taylor, of 

 Washington, whose treatment is given in full in Mr. True's report. 



In three days after treatment the patient felt in good health again. 

 About two months after the event, however, pain set in once more at 

 the bitten finger, extending to the knuckles; and after a few days an 

 ulcer made its appearance above the latter. 



Mr. Shindler's troubles were not yet over, and as the periodical 

 recurrence of the symptoms Have been very marked, I shall bring it 

 down to date (December, 1894 1). 



Mr. Shindler tells me that every summer, a few days before June 2, 

 the day he was bitten, the wounded finger commences to pain, mostly 

 at night. A sore is formed and soon breaks open, and as a result the 

 nail invariably comes off. Tlie attack lasts for about two weeks. 



Two years ago, however, and ten years alter the accident, the recur- 

 rence was prevented by a remedy commonly used in Brazil against 

 snake bite, and brought to Mr. Shindler from that country by his friend. 

 Dr. A. de Bausset. The remedy consists of the leaves and stem of a 

 vine {Micania guacho) an infusion of which was taken internally imme- 

 diately before the expected recurrence of the symptoms, with the result 

 that, although the pains arrived on time, no eruption took place. His 

 experience in 1893 and 1894 was similar. 



* American Naturalist, xvii, January, 1883, pp. 26-31. 



t Dr. Yarrow Las already reported the case up to 18S(J (Medical News, 1., 188? p. 634). 



H. Mis. 184, pt. 2 23 



