18 ON THE NATURE AND ACTION OF THE 



Mode of Action of the Poison. 

 Snake-poison probably produces its fatal or deleterious effects 

 either by completely paralysing the nerve-centres or other 

 portion of the nervous apparatus, and thus causing arrest of 

 respiration, or by partially paralysing them and also poisoning 

 the blood, thereby inducing pathological conditions of a 

 secondary nature, which may, according to circumstances, cause 

 the slightest or the most dangerous symptoms. 



The effect produced depends on two sets of conditions : — 

 first, the species of the snake, its actual state at the time, the 

 quantity and quality of its poison, and the circumstances 

 under which it inflicts the bite ; second, the species, size, and 

 vigour of the living creature, and the circumstances under 

 which it is bitten. 



Snake-poison is essentially a neurotic, and, when it takes full 

 effect, it appears to kill by annihilating, in some unknown way, 

 the source or distribution of nerve-force. It is also an irritant; 

 for if applied to a mucous membrane or to the conjunctiva, it 

 .soon induces violent inflammation ; absorption at the same 

 time takes place, and symptoms of poisoning are produced. It 

 is also, to a certain extent, a septic; for if the bitten creature 

 survive, the wound and the parts about it are apt to slough and 

 to induce septicaemia. The poison acts by absorption — that is, 

 by entering the circulation, and so reaching the nerve-centres, 

 it produces, according to the quantity or intensity of the 

 venom, either death or severe local and constitutional symptoms. 

 If it find entry by a large vein, such as the femoral or jugular, 

 life may be destroyed in a few seconds. 

 The blood itself is affected by the poison. 

 Dr. Fayrer has not been able to detect any corpuscular 

 changes, nor has he any exact information on the chemical 

 changes it undergoes, or may have undergone ; but that it is 

 altered there can be little doubt ; and in poisoning of the 

 lower animals, at all events by the Viperidte, its coagulability 

 after death is generally destroyed, whilst after death by poison- 

 ing by the colubrine snakes the blood generally coagulates.* 



* Our experiments in England hare not confirmed these obserTations made in 

 India. The blood of animals dead from Duio/a-poisoning has been found to 



