56 CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF BODY AND FOOD. 



lead us too far into pathological regions. The exact nature of the 

 toxalbumoses and their antitoxins is by no means settled, but has 

 already been followed by important practical results in the way of 

 treatment. 



Snake poison. The first group of proteid poisons in the foregoing 

 list will furnish us with a typical example of the class, and it appears 

 probable that, as the nature of the poison has been more thoroughly 

 worked out in this than in most of the other cases, this will also form 

 an important field of research in furnishing the key to the question of 

 the nature of antitoxins; for protective inoculation has here been 

 followed with considerable success (Calmette, 1 Eraser 2 ). 



The first investigation into the chemistry of snake poison of any 

 importance was by Prince Lucien Buonaparte, on the poison of an adder, 

 in 1843. 3 He found that the activity of the poison was associated with 

 the portion precipitable by alcohol ; and he gave the name wperi/fw to 

 this precipitate. 



About 1860, Weir Mitchell 4 turned his attention to the subject, and 

 he was the first to recognise that the toxic principle of the venom is 

 albuminous in nature. He termed it crotalin in the case of the rattle- 

 snake. From that time till 1886 (in conjunction with Reichert) he 

 continued his work, and confirmed his general conclusion in the case 

 of the North American snakes. About 1871 the Indian snakes received 

 their share of attention, and the names of Sir Joseph Fayrer 5 and 

 Lander Brunton 6 are associated with valuable researches concerning 

 the venom of the cobra, krait, and Indian viper. These observers dealt, 

 however, with the object mainly from the point of view of the physio- 

 logical action of the venom. 



In 1883 Wall, 7 in 1886 Wolfenden, 8 and in 1892 Kanthack, 9 

 published important contributions to our knowledge of cobra poison, 

 the improved methods of chemical physiology enabling them not only 

 to identify the poison as a proteid, but to show that the variety of 

 proteid present is principally proteose. Two observers have described 

 poisons other than proteid in snake venom, viz. Gautier, 10 who regarded 

 the venomous principle as alkaloidal ; and Wynter Blyth, 11 who gave the 

 name cobric acid to a crystalline substance which he separated from 

 cobra venom, and which he asserted to be highly poisonous. Recent 

 work has failed to substantiate these results, and such alkaloids as are 

 present (and they are generally absent) are non-poisonous ones. 



In their researches on the venom of the Australian black snake, C. 

 J. Martin and M'Gr. Smith 12 determined positively the nature of the 



1 "Le Venin des Serpents," Paris, 1896. 



2 Brit. Med. Journ., London, 1895, vol. i. p. 1309. The name given to the antitoxin 

 contained in the serum of immunised animals is antivenine. 



3 See Sir J. Fayrer, Proc. Med. Soc. London, 1884. 



4 N. Am. Med.-CMr. Rev., vol. v. p. 269 ; Med. News, Philadelphia, 1883 ; "Researches 

 upon the Venoms of Poisonous Serpents," Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, 1886. 



5 Rep. on san. improvement* in India, London, 1873, 1874. 



6 Pep. on san. measures in India, London, 1874 ; Proc. Roy. Soc. London, 1872-3, 

 1873-4, 1875 and 1878; Sir J. Fayrer, "Thanatophidia of India," London, 1872, and 

 numerous papers by same author in Edin. Med. Journ., -And Indian Med. Gaz., Calcutta, 

 between 1868 and 1874. 



7 " Indian Snake Poisons, their Nature and Effects." 



8 Journ. Physiol., Cambridge and London, vol. vii. pp. 327, 357, 365. 



9 Ibid., vol. xiii. p. 372. 10 Bull. Acad. de mcd., Paris, 1881. 



11 Analyst, London, 1876, vol. i. 



12 Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales, Sydney, July 3, Aug. 3, 1892; Journ. Physiol., 

 Cambridge and London, 1893, vol. xv. p. 380. 



