POISONED WOUNDS. 471 



turbid, but exhibiting no obvious characters denoting its virulent 

 properties. 



It contains besides albuminous or mucous and a small amount 

 of fatty matters and the usual salts, a peculiar principle, to 

 which Prince Lucien Bonaparte has given the name of " echid- 

 nine " or viperine. It strongly resembles ptyaline, but possesses 

 active poisonous properties which are retained even after it has 

 been dried for a considerable time, if not exj)osed to the air. 



When the poison is introduced into the stomach, it seems to 

 produce no effect beyond a temporary local irritation ; nor does 

 it appear to induce any deleterious effect when applied to the 

 surface of the skin, even when it has been slightly abraded ; and, 

 according to Fontana's experiments, it seems innocuous when 

 applied to the exposed surfaces of muscular tissue, cartilage, 

 periosteum, pericranium, the dura mater, the medullary canal of 

 Dones, cornea, tongue, lips, palate, exposed nerves ; and all ex- 

 periments tend to show that in order to produce its specific 

 effects it must be directly introduced into the subcutaneous 

 areolar tissue, and even such introduction is mora certain to 

 succeed when the poison is introduced through the fang itself 

 than after inoculation with a cutting instrument. 



When introduced, the poison appears to cause death in two 

 ways ; when very strong, by directly destroying the irritability 

 of the nervous system, like some of the most powerful narcotic 

 poisons; when less powerful, by diffuse inflammation of the 

 areolar tissue, abscesses, and gangrene. In the first-named 

 instances the symptoms are extreme depression, and a sinking, 

 feeble, flickering, intermittent pulse, coldness of the extremities, 

 dilated pupils, speedy insensibility, stupor, and death. In the 

 second form, the symptoms are of the most alarming asthenic 

 character, from the moment of the infliction of the bite, and are 

 succeeded, if the patient live sufficiently long, by diffuse sup- 

 puration and gangrene. The fost mortem examinations of such 

 cases reveal a dark, alkaline, and fluid state of the blood, which 

 emits a peculiarly sickly odour, intense congestion of the lungs 

 and spleen, with other appearances indicative of " death of the 

 blood" (necroemia). 



The local treatment consists in preventing absorption into the 

 circulation by tying a ligature round the bitten limb upon the 

 cardiac side of the wound ; the immediate excision of the part, 



