POSSIBLE RECOVERY. 435 



injected until after coma has set in, for the reason that the venom 

 destroys the nerve centres beyond the possibihty of recovery. In 

 other words, the venom actually annihilates the life of the nerve 

 centres, by so altering the structure of their cells that it is quite 

 impossible for recovery to take place. 



Others ridicule the idea of a man's life being saved after 

 breathing has ceased. Consequently they maintain that in 

 cases of snake bite it is useless to resort to artificial respira- 

 tion. 



In animals injected with fatal doses of Cobra venom no 

 destruction of the nerve cells was observed if they died within 

 six hours. But in all cases where life was prolonged for twelve 

 hours or more, it was noticed that preparations of nerve-substance, 

 stained by Nissel's method, showed that the venom had acted upon 

 considerable numbers of nerve cells. In some instances the outer 

 coating of the cell had vanished ; in others the whole cell was 

 completely destroyed. This was particularly noticeable in the 

 spinal cord. 



However, except in extreme cases due to an excessive dose 

 of Cobra venom, sufficient nerve cells are not destroyed to be the 

 actual cause of death. 



Snake venom, like hypnotic drugs, benumbs the nerve centres 

 in the brain, medulla oblongata and spinal cord, more or less 

 in accordance with the nature of the poison and the quantity 

 introduced into the blood. Alcoholic liquor also causes exten- 

 sive destruction of nerve cells, but does not usually destroy 

 sufficient to be a direct cause of death. 



Animals which have been paralysed by snake venom often 

 recover. I have kept such animals for many months, and in 

 no case have they showed any symptoms afterwards of damaged 

 nervous systems. 



Human beings who recover from snake bite become healthy 

 and strong again. I have seen men lying insensible and appar- 

 ently too far gone to recover. Yet they rallied and made 

 complete recoveries. The case of Mr. James Williams, my 

 assistant, is an excellent illustration. He was bitten by a 

 Tree Snake or Boomslang {Dispholidus typus), and was as near 

 death as it was possible for a man, and yet he lived. He lay 

 for days almost insensible and completely paralysed from head 

 to foot. 



