182 OPHIDIANS. 
granular matter, with a few pavement epithelial cells, com- 
pound granular bodies of an oleaginous character, and finally 
of the peculiar masses known and described as colloid 
bodies,* and in appearance so much resembling starch gran- 
ules as to have induced me to neglect them at first, supposing 
them to be really that substance accidentally present. These 
corpuscular bodies were marked with delicate radiating lines. 
Jodine stained them a yellowish-brown. They were doubt- 
less due to some concrete modification of albuminous material. 
Occasionally, when the snake had been seriously maltreated, 
the venom contained more or less blood. This sfigma serves 
to elucidate certain appearances in Fig. 2: a, af are masses 
of crystals which, under a higher power, would present a 
similar appearance to the field in Fig. 13; 6, 6 are similar, 
groups, somewhat distorted ; while c¢, cf are poison-corpuscles 
or disks, upon which are seen the peculiar oblique-angled 
crystals marked a, a, a, in Fig. 13. 
Fig. 14 shows the ultimate effect of*the venom upon mus- 
cular fibre, made apparent by disturbing it mechanically. Dr. 
Mitchell continues: ‘ The final influence of the venom upon 
muscular structure was extremely curious. In every instance 
it softened it in proportion to the length of time during which 
it remained in contact with it, so that after even a few hours 
in warm-blooded animals, and after a rather longer time in 
the frog, the wounded muscle became almost diffluent, and 
assumed a dark color and somewhat jelly-like appearance. 
The structure remained entire until it was pressed upon or 
stretched, when it lost all regularity, and offered the appear- 
* Wedl, Pathological Histology, Trans. of the Sydenham Socicty, pp. 
BS, 264, 271.627 ~ 
{+ Mitchell’s Researches, &c. 
