EXPERIMENTS WITH ANTI-VENENE SERUM. 413 



complete recovery takes place. If there be extensive swelling 

 it will slowly disappear. It will in no case subside all at once. 



The effect of the anti-venene, when injected in sufficient 

 quantity, is to stop the development of any further symptoms of 

 poisoning. Therefore it is apparent that if the patient is not 

 already too far gone to make recovery possible, he should quite 

 recover. Recoveries which occur without serum treatment fre- 

 quently leave more or less distressing after-effects. 



Treatment of Animals. 



The treatment of snake bite in animals is the same as that in 

 the human subject. It has, of course, to be modified according 

 to circumstances, and the kind of animal treated. Do not 

 attempt to force the syringe-needle through the thick parts of 

 the hide. Select the soft parts on the inner portions of the 

 thighs and forelegs for injection. The dosage is the same as 

 that for the human subject. A child or small animal needs as 

 large and often larger dose than an adult. 



Animals, when injected with ten fatal doses of venom, will 

 not develop serious symptoms of poisoning if the serum treat- 

 ment be given directly afterwards. If injected in sufficient 

 quantity into a vein after unmistakable signs of poisoning 

 have set in, the serum checks the symptoms and saves the 

 creature's life. 



As a general rule, snakes are not seen to inflict a bite on 

 animals, unless it be a dog. Invariably in the case of cattle, 

 sheep, goats or ostriches, the attention is first drawn to the 

 swelling and hajmorrhage, or a more or less paralysed con- 

 dition of the creature. If the bite be that of a Puff Adder 

 there will be swelling arising from the site of the entry of the 

 venom. If a Cobra, there will be little or no swelling. In both 

 cases the victim will stagger or lie upon the ground in more 

 or less an exhausted condition ; therefore in nearly, if not in all 

 such cases, it is best to inject a dose of serum. Since the publica- 

 tion of the second edition of this book I have received letters 

 from scores of farmers and others, reporting of men and stock 

 animals being cured by the timely injection of serum. 



Experiments with Anti-Venene Serum, 

 Mr. T. Norsworthy, the station master at Thornygrove, 



