DESTROYING THE ACTIVITY OF COBRA- POISON; 143 



Experiment VII. 



March 14th. — Guinea-pig, weight 16 oz. 



5 milligrammes of cobra-poison dissolved in 1 c.c. of water and 

 injected into the right hip at 3.39 p.m. 



In three minutes afterwards 1^ c.c. of a 10-per-cent. solution 

 of chloride of gold were injected into another spot (the left hip, 

 at 3.42). 



3.43 P.M. Very restless. 



3.45 „ Very restless ; head twitching ; drops the left leg. 



3.53 „ Restless. 



3.55 „ Weak, dropping both hind legs ; left appears quite 

 paralysed. 



4.5 P.M. Getting weaker ; paralysis creeping over him. 



4.10 „ Barely moves ; hind quarters completely paralysed. 



4.12 „ Convulsions. 



4.19 „ Heart still beats feebly. 



4.20 „ Dead. 



Experiment VIII shows that permanganate of potash destroys 

 the action of the venom. 



Experiment VIII. 



5 milligrammes of poison were dissolved in 1 c.c. of water, and 

 mixed with 1 c.c. of liquor potassse permanganatis of the 

 British Pharmacopoeia, and injected under the skin of a guinea- 

 pig. No symptoms were produced, and the animal remained 

 quite unaffected. 



Experiment IX. 



Two rabbits of the same litter, each weighing exactly 2 lbs., 

 were taken. 5 centigrammes of cobra-poison dissolved in 1 c.c. 

 of distilled water were mixed with 1 c.c. of liquor potassse 

 permanganatis (B.P.), and allowed to stand for about 8 minutes. 

 The mixture was then injected under the skin of the flank of 

 one rabbit. No symptoms whatever were produced, and the 

 animal, though kept under observation for some weeks, remained 

 quite unaffected by the poison. 5 milligrammes of cobra-poison 

 dissolved in 2 c.c. of water were injected into the other rabbit 

 at the same time. During the injection a little of the poison 



