THE ALCOHOL CURE FOR SNAKE BITE. 327 



are often destroyed in such numbers and the rest so shrivelled 

 and otherwise damaged, that the functions of the brain are, 

 ever afterwards, impaired even to the degree of permanent 

 weakening of the intellect. 



All these terrible risks are taken because of the belief that 

 alcohol cures snake bite. 



Alcohol has no curative effect. When brandy or whisky is 

 mixed with snake venom and injected into animals, the poisonous 

 properties of the venom are in no degree lessened. The animals 

 die just as rapidly as if the venom had been injected pure. 



Animals have been made incapably drunk with alcohol and 

 injected with snake venom. Others have been injected with 

 exactly the same dose of venom, but were not treated with 

 alcohol. Those previously made drunk died just as soon, often 

 sooner, than those not so treated. I have measured out doses 

 of venom and injected it in equal proportions into two animals 

 at a time. One was then dosed freely with alcohol, the other 

 was kept warm and left to itself. The creature treated with 

 alcohol died first. These experiments were repeated several times. 



When snake venom is mixed with absolute alcohol, a white 

 precipitate is thrown down, but the poisonous properties which 

 have been thrown out of solution are just as soluble as ever, 

 and if injected into the blood, exert the same poisonous effects 

 as venom direct from a snake. If alcohol had the power of 

 rendering the poisonous parts of snake venom insoluble, or 

 changing its nature, then if the blood was saturated with alcohol 

 it would have some curative effect, but this is not so. Even 

 overproof spirit does not lessen its poisonous properties when 

 mixed with it. The only good effect of alcohol in the treatment 

 of snake bite is its power in somewhat deadening the patient's 

 sense of fear and dread. In this connection it is often useful, 

 for in many cases the shock to the nervous system through fear 

 is more to be dreaded than the venom. Naturally when the 

 nervous system is more or less benumbed through shock due to 

 terror, the vitality is at low ebb, and the natural resistance of 

 the body to the venom is considerably lessened. 



However, large doses are never justified. In fact, the only 

 times when alcohol is suggested is in slight cases of snake bite, 

 to blunt the patient's sense of fear. It is valueless as an actual 

 antidote. In all serious cases, particularly those suffering from 



