72 



LEAVES FROM THE NOTE-BOOK OF A NATURALIST. 



my is all disturbed ; and though different poisons 

 may show their most remarkable effects in differ- 

 ent parts, and these according to the violence of 

 the hurt, may appear in different degrees, yet the 

 symptoms always make it plain that the first bad 

 impression is made upon the animal spirits. 



When we presently come to consider the symp- 

 toms that follow the bite of one of the venomous 

 serpents the common viper, for example we 

 shall find them analogous to those that follow the 

 seizures in plagues, cholera, fevers, and other 

 pestilential diseases, where faintness, giddiness, 

 palpitations of the heart, and all the other disorders 

 which show that the nervous system is affected, 

 are manifested ; and, in truth, the sufferer in such 

 cases is laboring under the effect of a real poison. 



The symptoms which follow the bite of a viper, 

 when it fastens either one or both its greater teeth 

 in any part of the body, are an acute pain in the 

 place wounded, with a swelling at first red, but 

 afterwards livid, which by degrees spreads further 

 to the neighboring parts ; with great faintness, and 

 a quick though low and sometimes interrupted 

 pulse, great sickness at the stomach, with bilious, 

 convulsive vomitings, cold sweats, and sometimes 

 pains about the navel ; and if the cure be not 

 speedy, death itself, unless the strength of nature 

 prove sufficient to overcome these disorders ; and 

 though it does, the swelling still continues inflamed 

 for some time ; nay, in some cases more consider- 

 ably, upon the abating of the other symptoms, than 

 at the beginning. And often from the small wound 

 runs a sanious liquor, and little pustules are raised 

 about it ; the color of the whole skin, in less than 

 an hour, is changed yellow, as if the patient had 

 the jaundice.* 



The rapidity with which animal life may be 

 overcome by the poison of venomous snakes is 

 well illustrated by Mr. Bell, the present secretary 

 of the Royal Society ; and, by the way, in one of 

 his dissections he had proof of the danger which 

 may be incurred in investigating their anatomy. 



The head of a large rattlesnake had been taken 

 off immediately after death. Some hours after- 

 wards Mr. Bell was carefully dissecting the 

 poison-apparatus ; but though so long a time had 

 elapsed since the head was cut away, Mr. Bell 

 found that the poison continued to be secreted so 

 fast as to require the occasional use of a piece of 

 rag or sponge ; and he remarks that there could 

 not have been altogether less than six or eight 

 drops of the deadly fluid distilled from the gland 

 in the severed head. 



As might be expected, if a succession of 

 wounds be given by a poisonous snake, the crea- 

 ture last stricken has the best chance of recovery. 

 One of Mr. Bell's friends had received a rattle- 

 snake from America, and upon the principle 

 contained in the apophthegm, Fiat exper imentum in 

 corpore vili, a pack of wretched rats were selected 

 for the occasion. One was put into the cage with 

 the serpent, which immediately struck it. The 

 rat was dead in two minutes. A second was then 

 placed in the cage, to the furthest corner of which 



* Mead On Poisons. 



it retreated, uttering piercing cries of distress. 

 The serpent, conscious probably of the late loss 

 of virus, lay quiet ; but when about half an hour 

 had elapsed, it was irritated, and then struck the 

 second rat, which showed no symptoms of having 

 received the poison for several minutes ; and 

 twenty minutes after the bite elapsed before this 

 victim died. Then a third very large rat was 

 introduced into the cage. This showed no signs 

 of terror, and the snake did not appear to notice 

 the intruder, though both were watched through- 

 out the evening, and at night they were left 

 together. The next morning Mr. Bell's friend 

 rose early and visited the cage. But the tables 

 were now turned. The snake lay dead and muti- 

 lated ; for the rat had feasted upon the flesh of its 

 back. 



Some of our readers may remember the dis- 

 tressing case of a carpenter who came to see the 

 show of a real live rattlesnake. Anxious proba- 

 bly to hear the serpent's rattle, the carpenter 

 teased it with his rule, which, unfortunately, he 

 dropped into the cage. He tried to regain it, 

 and while he was attempting to reach it the snake 

 bit him in the hand. He was taken to one of our 

 hospitals, had the assistance of some of the first 

 surgeons in London, and resisted the effects of the 

 poison so long that hopes were entertained. But 

 the shock to the constitution was too great, and 

 after lingering many days he sank under the con- 

 sequences of the bite. 



Dr. Mead relates a similar case, with a much 

 happier result : 



A man was bit on -jne of his fingers by a rattle- 

 snake, just then brought over from Virginia. He 

 immediately put his fingers into his mouth and 

 sucked the wound. His under-lip and tongue were 

 presently swelled to a great degree ; he faltered 

 in his speech, and in some measure lost his senses. 

 He then drank a large quantity of oil, and warm 

 water upon it, by which he vomited plentifully. 

 A live pigeon was cut in two and applied to the 

 finger. Two hours after this, the flesh about the 

 wound was cut out, and the part burnt with a hot 

 iron, and the arm embrocated with warm oil. He 

 then recovered his speech and senses. His arm 

 continued swelled the next day, but by common 

 applications soon grew easy, and the patient suf- 

 fered no further mischief. 



As the poison of this snake (continues Dr. Mead) 

 is more quick and deadly than any other that we 

 know, a remedy for this will most certainly prove 

 effectual against that of smaller vipers, and all 

 other creatures of this kind. The other applica- 

 tions here made use of (the vomit excepted) could 

 be of no service. The pigeon, the cutting and 

 burning the part two hours after the wound had 

 been made, did no good. Embrocating the arm 

 with oil only abated the swelling. 



However right the worthy doctor may be touch- 

 ing the pigeon, the excision, and the cautery, it is 

 by no means clear that he has not leaped some- 

 what hastily to his conclusion touching the inutil- 

 ity of the embrocation. Besides their famous 

 axungia vipcrina, the viper-catchers in after-times 

 had the greatest ^nnfidence in olive-oil as a specific 



