PERSISTENLY TESTED. 383 



or after an interval of four minutes into the same part by a 

 hypodermic injection, of a solution of permanganate of potash, no 

 symptoms of Cobra poisoning resulted, but after the develop- 

 ment of symptoms of Cobra poisoning, permanganate of potash 

 failed to have any effect whether injected locally, into a vein, 

 or both." 



These results were also obtained by Lacerda (Couty and 

 Lacerda, Comptes Rendus, Vol. xcii., p. 465), and by Richards. 



Persistently Tested. 



Many experimenters at first were very discouraged and 

 inclined to think permanganate of potash was of no practical 

 value, for it was found that when rabbits, pigeons, and fowls 

 were injected with venom and the wounds immediately scarified 

 and permanganate rubbed in, the creatures in most cases died. 

 It must, however, be borne in mind that these species of animals 

 are extremely susceptible to the poison of snakes, and that in 

 these experiments, doses of venom averaging from five to fifty 

 fatal doses had been administered at one injection. Such a 

 comparatively large quantity of venom being introduced caused 

 enough to get into the general circulation to kill these highly- 

 susceptible animals, in spite of the permanganate neutralizing 

 the venom not yet absorbed from the site of the injection. It 

 was noted, however, that the application of the permanganate 

 delayed death in most instances. 



Much more satisfactory results were obtained with animals 

 of a higher order whose bodily organizations were more akin to 

 those of human beings, such, for instance, as monkeys, cats, and 

 dogs. Dr. Lauder Brunton and several others found that cats 

 recovered when permanganate was rubbed into the incisions 

 made over the site of the injection, although ten ordinary fatal 

 doses of venom had been given, or in other words enough venom 

 was injected at a dose into each cat to kill ten cats, and when 

 permanganate was applied the animals recovered. 



These experiments were carried out extensively, and in all 

 but two or three cases the animals recovered. 



In Dr. Brunton's experiments the venom was first injected, 

 a ligature apphed, the flesh over the site of the injection deeply 

 scarified, and permanganate rubbed into the tissues. After five 

 minutes the ligature was removed. The animals experimented 



