ANECDOTES. 221 



est the most so. The remedies used by the 

 snake catchers, may be as good as any, but 

 since leaving the Calcutta hospital I have 

 never had an opportunity of trying* them; 

 unfortunately whenever I have known a per- 

 son bitten, I have not had an iron instrument 

 at hand, and it will not admit of delay; per- 

 haps sucking the part and applying nitric 

 or sulphuric acid to the bite, would be as 

 good as any application, particularly if ac- 

 companied with incision, at the same time 

 taking carbonate of ammonia, or any vola- 

 tile spirit. Such things, as also the hot iron, 

 are seldom ready when wanted. 



With the natives I have always used a whip 

 or stick to oblige them to continue in action, 

 and when I could get them to move no lon- 

 ger, I used friction, by rubbing their bodies 

 with flannel, and I think often with good 

 effect. It is strange to say that there is scarce- 

 ly a person in India that has not some parti- 

 cular nostrum for the bites of snakes. I once 

 witnessed such a medley of remedies adminis- 



