POISONS AND THEIR PREVENTION 207 



viper from a number of others lying at the bottom 

 of a tub. He put it on his head, then in his 

 breast, and tied it about his neck like a necklace. 

 Next it was made to bite a hen, which died in a 

 few minutes ; and, to complete the experiment, 

 the man took it by the neck, and, beginning at 

 the tail, ate it as one does a carrot or a stick of 

 celery, without any seeming repugnance." 



A most interesting account of snake-charmers is 

 given by Drummond Hay, in his book on Western 

 Barbary, in which he relates his experiences with 

 some of these wonderful individuals belonging to 

 the sect called Eisowy. Members of this sect, 

 .he mentions, frequently handled scorpions and 

 poisonous reptiles without fear or hesitation, and 

 they were never attacked by them. He was 

 present at one of their exhibitions of feats with 

 snakes in which they both allowed themselves to 

 be bitten and provoked the snake to bite them. 

 The charmer thus bitten then in his turn ate or 

 chewed the reptile, which, he remarks, writhing 

 with pain, bit him in the neck and hands till it was 

 actually destroyed by the Eisowy's teeth. 



In South Africa snake poison is actually taken 

 as a protection against snake-bites, and if we turn 

 to the Lancet Qi the year 1886, we shall find a letter 

 from Mr. Alfred Bolton stating that his curiosity 

 had been aroused by the fact that while in South 



