﻿320 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  ASSOCIATED 
  TREATMENT 
  

  

  Of 
  general 
  measures 
  apart 
  from 
  antivenin, 
  sedatives 
  such 
  as 
  morphine 
  or 
  

   aspirin, 
  or 
  small 
  doses 
  of 
  a 
  barbiturate 
  may 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  relieve 
  pain 
  and 
  nervous- 
  

   ness. 
  For 
  collapse, 
  strychnine, 
  aromatic 
  spirits 
  of 
  ammonia 
  or 
  other 
  general 
  

   stimulants 
  are 
  of 
  some 
  value. 
  In 
  all 
  severely 
  poisoned 
  persons, 
  great 
  relief 
  is 
  

   likely 
  to 
  be 
  experienced 
  from 
  the 
  infusion 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  physiological 
  

   saline, 
  or 
  still 
  better, 
  transfusion 
  of 
  blood, 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  life 
  saving 
  

   in 
  borderline 
  cases. 
  

  

  ANTIVENIN 
  AND 
  ITS 
  PREPARATION 
  

  

  Antivenomous 
  serums 
  used 
  to 
  combat 
  the 
  deadly 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  bites 
  

   of 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  are 
  prepared 
  by 
  medical 
  institutions 
  in 
  many 
  coun- 
  

   ties. 
  In 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  the 
  Sharp 
  and 
  Dohme 
  Laboratories 
  at 
  

   Glen 
  Olden, 
  Pa., 
  furnish 
  a 
  serum 
  effective 
  against 
  the 
  bites 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   important 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   serums 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  tropical 
  America. 
  

  

  "The 
  first 
  step 
  in 
  preparing 
  an 
  antivenomous 
  serum, 
  or 
  'antivenin,' 
  

   is 
  the 
  extraction 
  of 
  the 
  venom 
  from 
  the 
  snakes 
  by 
  manually 
  forcing 
  

   it 
  into 
  a 
  suitable 
  container. 
  It 
  is 
  then 
  partially 
  purified 
  by 
  centrif 
  uga- 
  

   tion, 
  dried, 
  and 
  stored 
  for 
  use. 
  As 
  it 
  is 
  needed 
  it 
  is 
  dissolved, 
  steri- 
  

   lized, 
  and 
  injected 
  into 
  horses, 
  starting 
  with 
  very 
  small 
  doses 
  which 
  are 
  

   repeated 
  in 
  gradually 
  increasing 
  amounts 
  every 
  week 
  or 
  every 
  2 
  weeks. 
  

   Eventually 
  the 
  horses 
  become 
  so 
  highly 
  immune 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  with- 
  

   stand 
  amounts 
  several 
  hundred 
  times 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  would 
  kill 
  a 
  normal 
  

   horse. 
  Their 
  blood 
  is 
  tested 
  periodically 
  to 
  determine 
  its 
  antiven- 
  

   omous 
  potency. 
  When 
  it 
  is 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  set 
  standard, 
  the 
  horses 
  are 
  bled 
  at 
  

   regular 
  intervals. 
  The 
  serum 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  cells 
  and 
  is 
  con- 
  

   centrated 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  manner 
  as 
  to 
  remove 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  inactive 
  sub- 
  

   stances, 
  leaving 
  a 
  highly 
  active 
  material 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  antivenin 
  of 
  com- 
  

   merce. 
  

  

  In 
  general, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  an 
  antivenin 
  is 
  satisfactorily 
  effec- 
  

   tive 
  only 
  against 
  bites 
  from 
  snakes 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  type 
  that 
  supplied 
  

   the 
  venom 
  used 
  in 
  its 
  preparation. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  useful 
  in 
  treating 
  bites 
  

   from 
  closely 
  related 
  species, 
  but 
  usually 
  it 
  is 
  worthless, 
  or 
  nearly 
  so, 
  

   in 
  accidents 
  from 
  unallied 
  types. 
  Thus, 
  an 
  antivenin 
  prepared 
  

   against 
  the 
  venom 
  of 
  a 
  rattlesnake 
  is 
  useless, 
  or 
  nearly 
  so, 
  in 
  treating 
  

   bites 
  of 
  cobras, 
  and 
  vice 
  versa. 
  Fortunately, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  

   to 
  prepare 
  one 
  antivenin 
  that 
  will 
  counteract 
  several 
  different 
  venoms, 
  

   merely 
  by 
  using 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  venoms 
  in 
  immunizing 
  the 
  horses. 
  This 
  

   method 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  results 
  in 
  a 
  product 
  that 
  is 
  

   effective 
  in 
  treating 
  bites 
  of 
  all 
  native 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  except 
  the 
  

   coral 
  snake, 
  bites 
  from 
  which 
  are 
  rare. 
  Such 
  polyvalent 
  serums 
  are 
  

   prepared 
  in 
  other 
  countries 
  as 
  well, 
  and 
  they 
  greatly 
  simplify 
  the 
  

   treatment 
  of 
  bites. 
  When 
  the 
  snake 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  bite 
  can 
  be 
  

  

  