SNAKE POISONS— TREATMENT 121 



Ammonia is of very little use, if any; and its use depends so 

 much upon conditions that it should be employed only by a 

 physician. 



5. If the serum is not available, inject directly into the 

 wound, as quickly as possible after the accident, a solution 

 of chromic acid or permanganate of potash, 1 to 100, and 

 see to it that the hypodermic needle penetrates to the bottom 

 of each wound. In the absence of a syringe, bathe the wound 

 with the solution. 



6. Having done all possible at the wound itself, then give 

 hypodermic injections, on leg or arm, of "15 to 20 minims of 

 liquid strychnine, every 20 minutes, until slight tetanic spasms 

 appear." (Stejneger.) 



7. The ligature must be loosened from time to time, to 

 permit a limited circulation of fresh blood, or mortification 

 will ensue. 



8. If medical aid is within reach, it should be procured as 

 speedily as possible, but in most cases, the life of the patient 

 depends upon what is done for him during the first hour fol- 

 lowing the accident. 



Mr. Gruber's Treatment. — A practical method by 

 which to escape death from the bite of a rattlesnake can be 

 learned of Mr. Peter Gruber, of Rochester, New York, who 

 has been bitten about twenty times. His method of treating 

 himself was described to the writer as follows : 



"I no longer suck the venom from a wound. Unless a 

 man's mouth is in very perfect condition it is dangerous. My 

 first act is to take my knife and cut a slit an inch and a half 

 long straight from my body into the wound, and continue 



