EXPEKIMENTS ON A METHOD OF PRE- 

 VENTING DEATH FROM SNAKE BITE, 

 CAPABLE OF COMMON AND EASY PRAC- 

 TICAL APPLICATION. 



By Sir Lauder Brunton, M.D., F.E.S., Sir Joseph Fayrek, 

 Bart., K.C.S.I., F.R.S., and Leonard Eogers, M.D., B.S., 

 etc., Indian Medical Service. 



(Reprinted from tlie Proceedings of the Hoyal Society, vol. Ixxiii, 1904.) 



Although this paper is a joint one, the authors wish to mention 

 that each has had a different part in its production. The whole 

 research may be fairly regarded as the natural outcome of the 

 work begun in India nearly forty years ago by one of us (Fayrer), 

 and this is the only ground on which his name can be associated 

 witli this paper. The instrument employed was designed by 

 another of us (Brunton), and the actual experimental work was 

 entirely carried out by a third (Eogers). 



The first experiments on the use of permanganate of potash 

 as an antidote to snake-poison was made by one of us (Fayrer) 

 in 1869, both by the local application of a solution and by 

 injection into the veins,* on the ground of its being a chemical 

 antidote. The animals experimented upon were dogs, but the 

 permanganate of potash did not seem to have any power to 

 avert the lethal action of the poison. It was shown also by 

 Wynter Blythf that cobra-venom, when mixed in vitro with 

 permanganate of potash, becomes innocuous. His results were 

 confirmed by two of us, who showed that some other substances 

 had a similar power.;]: They tried, by the injection of strong 



* J. Fayrer, M.D., Loudon, J. and A. Cliurcliill, The Thanatophidia of India, 

 1872, p. 95. 



t A. Wynter Blyth, M.R.C.S., " The Poison of the Cobra," The Analyst, 

 February 2Sth, 1877, p. 204. 



X Brunton and Fayrer, " Note on the Effect of Various Substances in Destroy- 

 ing the Activity of Cohva-Voison^'' Proceedinys of the Royal Society, Swne 20i\\, 

 1878, vol. 27, p. 4G5. 



