SNAKE STONES. 337 



with blood, perhaps several times, and then carefully charred 

 again." 



Doctor Davy examined several of these Snake stones, and 

 his opinion coincided with that of Professor Faraday. The 

 monks of Manilla manufacture and supply Snake stones to Indian 

 merchants, and the trade is very lucrative. 



The stones vary in composition. Some are of charred bone, 

 pieces of chalk, or a combination of vegetable matter. Those 

 which are prized most highly, however, and which are handed 

 down from father to son, usually originate from cysts of tape- 

 worms in sheep, A tape-worm egg is swallowed by a sheep. It 

 hatches, and the embryo passes into the abdominal cavity of the 

 host through the intestine wall and forms a bladder-worm or 

 large cyst. It is shaped like a bean i^ inches long by I5 inches 

 broad, and a little over one-eighth of an inch thick. After the 

 death of the embryo the cyst forms ii:ito a white chalky substance, 

 composed of phosphate of lime with a little carbonate. When 

 found in sheep they are a great puzzle to farmers, as to how they 

 got there. 



It is alleged that the stone, when applied to the site of the bite, 

 will draw out the venom. This would prove so to a certain 

 degree, if applied within a few minutes of being bitten, provided 

 the stones were powerfully absorbent, but they are not so. The 

 small quantity of blood which penetrates their substance has 

 little or no influence for good. The advocates of Snake stones 

 assert that it is not even necessary to scarify the flesh prior to 

 applying the stone. That the stone has the power of drawing 

 all the venom out through the two tiny punctures made in the 

 skin by the snakes' fangs. 



When a snake drives its fangs into the flesh it injects a 

 quantity of venom which spreads out and is rapidly sucked up 

 by the numerous absorbent vessels known as Lymphatics, and 

 hurried away to the large blood-vessels. If fully bitten by a 

 large Cobra, enough venom is absorbed into the circulation 

 within one minute to cause death, unless 20 to 50 cubic centi- 

 metres of Anti-venom Serum are injected before paralysis of the 

 nerve centres takes place. 



Nothing short of powerful suction with the mouth, a vacuum 

 tube, or pump, is sufficient to draw out the venom in sufficient 

 quantity to be of any practical value. 



z 



