136 OPHIDIANS. 
to change its skin, and enters into the state of semi-torpidity 
consequent upon this change, the poison loses its venomous 
principle, and what is still more singular the gall loses its bitter 
principle and becomes sweet to the taste. 
The poison extracted from the reptile in this state is a 
milky, thick, viscous fluid, which soon separates itself into 
a white ropy sediment, and a supernatant, transparent, slightly 
viscous liquid, showing no trace of acidity. Neither the sedi- 
ment nor the colorless liquid alone or in combination causes 
death in pigeons or dogs, but a septiceemia is produced which 
is limited, and not profound in its action. The poison con- 
tinues in this condition until the state of torpidity ceases, and 
when the colors on the new skin are very brightly marked 
and distinct the venomous principle is again restored to the 
poison and the bitter principle to the gall. 
These facts afford us a key to the widely different results 
obtained by experimenters, who use different substances as- 
antidotes in cases of snake-bites, which appear to be efficacious 
many times, and not efficacious in many other instances, when 
really they deserve no merit whatever for efficacy. 
Another fact is worthy of notice in this connection: the 
action of the bile in the snake is precisely the same as the 
gastric juice in the human stomach. After the reptile has 
swallowed its food a discharge of the bile into the digestive 
canal takes place; next ensues a precisely similar condition 
to that which occurs in jaundice. The whole muscular systém 
becomes saturated with it, and the remaining portion which 
decomposes the food passes off in the feeces. In this condi- 
tion if its own or the poison of another snake is introduced 
into the body, death does not ensue; because the bile which 
has already been absorbed by the muscular system antidotes 
the action of the poison, however fully its venomous principle 
may have been developed when injected. 
