VOL. XX,J PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 311 



rentiir, velsponte nascantur? Posterius te, Leiiwenlioecke, existiinare baud facile 

 credo, quia tu, si qiiis alius, automata inirifice confutasti ; si prius vero putes 

 ipsa etiain ilia animalcula, dum in seiiiine masculino sunt, adulta esse sequeter, 

 quod generare poles sunt. At quam absurdum hoc sit, tute cogita: scilicet 

 eadein animalia bis adolescere, nempe semel in semine masculino, atque iterum 

 in humane statu atque conditione. 



Account of a Book, viz. An Abstract with some Reflections on a vew Account of 

 East India and Persia, in Eii^/it Letters, being Nine Years Travels, begun 

 1672, and finished 1681, iSc. Bij John Fryer, M. D. F.R.S. 1698. 

 N° 1i'\, p. 338. 



The Symptoms that attended the Bite of a Serpent. Cojumunicated by Mr. Aaron 



Goodyear. N° 245, p. 351. 



Mr. Robert Burdett, an English merchant at Aleppo, was bit by a serpent 

 on the left wrist, near the pulse towards his hand ; it seemed at first like 2 

 pricks of a pin ; he imuiediately vomited, and his wrist and hand began to swell 

 presently ; he had some few days before a looseness, which this perhaps in- 

 creased : he rode easily alone, after he was bit, above 2 miles off to Aleppo ; 

 he felt no pain, but a great desire to sleep; his arm continued swelling upwards, 

 and grew black. Some remedies were used, till the rest of the factory returned, 

 who then began to cup and scarify his arm ; he having still no pain, but a great 

 drowsiness. At last the swelling came uf) to his shoulder, and then he com- 

 plained much ; and within 4- of an hour he died. He was bit about ten in the 

 forenoon, and died about 3 in the afternoon. His body swelled much after 

 death, and |)iirged. The snake was in length like a common snake; his colour 

 dark sand\, with black spots ; his 2 teeth, or fangs, like those of a rattle-snake, 

 on the upper jaw; the poison lies in the gums : and wherever they fetch blood 

 of any creature they certainly kill ; though in some parts sooner than in others. 

 The oil of tobacco kills the serpent, if put in his mouth, as was experienced. 

 The people of the country say, that .if, as soon as any one is bit by a serpent, 

 they shall suck immediately the wound, they may be saved ; but they rub first 

 their gums and teeth with oil, that none of the poison may touch any place; 

 where the skin is broken, and spit out immediately wliat they sui k, e\eiy lime 

 washing tlie mouth, and taking more oil. This serpent killed a dog, in about 

 8 minutes time, biting him at the end of his ear ; and 2 young turkeys after- 

 wards in 3 or 4 minutes each, biting them at the end of a claw; and then 

 we poisoned him with the oil of tobacco out of a reed pipe (that had been 

 much used, and not cleansed for a week, or two) and he died in about 2 or. 



