NOTE-BOOK OF A NATURALIST. 223 



within four or five hours. The Doctor made at another 

 time a like trial with the same success. 



As this axungia (says Dr. Mead) consists of clammy and viscid 

 parts, which are withal more penetrating and active than most oily 

 substances ; so these, without all doubt, may, if immediately 

 applied, involve and, as it were, sheath the volatil salts of the 

 venomous liquor, and thus prevent their shooting out into those 

 crystalline spicida which we have observed to be the main instru- 

 ments of that deadly mischief that attends the bite. But even 

 this cure ought not to be relied on. 'Tis safest to use the method 

 we have mentioned ; and, moreover, if the patient feels any sick- 

 ness, faintness, or any of the nervous symptoms we have described, 

 he must be put into bed, and a sweat must be promoted by cordial 

 medicines, particularly the Confect. Ralegh, and the salt of vipers, 

 or, in want of this, salt of hartshorn, given in warm wine. I have 

 often experienced the good effects of this proceeding ; and, after 

 all the pretensions of the cure by oil, in the case newly related, 

 the man was really not recovered without these means. 



And so stands the case ; animal fat versus vegetable 

 oil. The former may, as the Doctor says, be more pene- 

 tratinof • and we know that the common elder ointment 

 has been applied to dogs and cattle bitten by vipers with 

 the best success ; but olive-oil is, nevertheless, not to be 

 despised. The viperine remedy probably had its origin 

 in the notion, that the best remedy for a venomous 

 wound was to apply the crushed creature that had in- 

 flicted it to the injured part. 



The demand for vipers when viper-wine and viper- 

 broth were all the fashion for invigorating worn-out or 

 vitiated constitutions was very great, and they formed a 

 part of the stores of every fashionable apothecary's dis- 

 pensary. Supplies were regularly sent in by the viper- 

 catchers, and I remember hearing a story of a large box 

 full of these reptiles having been received by one of these 

 helpers of men in our town. The lid was not properly 

 secured, and the imprisoned serpents wriggled out, find- 

 ing their way up stairs, down stairs, and in my lady's 

 chamber, terribly frightening the maids and apprentices, 

 some of whom found a viper or two comfortably coiled 



