TREATMENT OF SNAKE BITE 293 



CERTAIN ALLEGED ANTIDOTES FOR SNAKE POISONING. 



It would be purposeless to enumerate at this place all snake remedies, 

 popularly credited as such, and I shall describe only a limited number of the 

 antidotes most frequently referred to. None of these are warranted as to 

 their antidotal value. 



The best known, guaco or huaco, also known as herba de cobra or yerba 

 capitana, is a syntherea with strong aromatic perfume and is found in Colom- 

 bia and other parts of tropical South America. Its proper name is Mikania 

 guaco Humb. et Bonnpl. Its leaves are well decocted and administered 

 internally as well as locally. It is also inoculated for prophylactic purposes 

 against snake bite. Chambers failed to obtain any protective action of guaco 

 against the venom of Vipera arietans on rabbits. Another reputed plant 

 remedy is Simaba cedron, the nuts of which are also believed by the South 

 American natives to be antidotal. In the West Indies, the roots of Dorstenia 

 contrayerva and Chicocecca anguifuga are also reputed to be valuable as 

 antidotes. 



In North America the roots of Aristolochia serpentaria and Poly gala senega 

 or Euphorbia prostrata, the swallow-root of Arizona, are often used internally 

 and externally in the case of rattlesnake bite. 



Among the East Indian vegetables the roots of Ophiorohiza mungos and 

 many varieties of Aristolochia, and the wood of Strychnos colubrina and 

 Ophioxylon, are the best known. 



Olive oil and sugar-cane juice are also employed. Ruta graveolens and 

 Dictamnus albus are popularly supposed in Europe to be antidotal, but in 

 reality are not at all so when experimentally tested. Various ethereal oils, 

 namely the essences of Camilla, peppermint, thyamin, and baldria, are equally 

 inactive. 



Among certain composite antidotes Bibron's antidote and Tanjora pills 

 may be mentioned. The former consists of potassium iodide, mercuric 

 chloride, and bromine water, while the latter contains chiefly arsenic acid. 

 Mitchell found Bibron's antidote worthless, while Fayrer did not discover any 

 efficacy in the Tanjora pills. 



Psychic treatment is also in practice among the East Indians (though they 

 believe it a real antidote), in the form of snake stones. The snake stone is 

 obtained from the stomach (?) of cobra and is the concrement known as 

 bezoare. The round concretion of cinerated acorn and a dark achatstone 

 are also among the Indian snake stones. These are applied locally to the 

 place of the bite. The cinerated acorn or achatstone may absorb some of 

 the venom, but never any considerable amount. Thus, the snake stones can 

 have no real curative value except certain psychic effect upon the super- 

 stitious natives. The alleged cases of successful treatment of snake bite with 

 snake stones must have been cases which would have recovered without the 

 stone treatment. 



