18 ON THE NATURE AND ACTION OF THE 



Mode of Actum of the Poison. 

 Snake-poison probably produces its fatal or deleterious effects 

 either by completely paralysing the nerve-centres or other 

 portion of the nervous apparatus, and thus causing arrest of 

 respiration, or by partially paralysing them and also poisoning 

 the blood, thereby inducing pathological conditions of a 

 secondary nature, which may, according to circumstances, cause 

 the slightest or the most dangerous symptoms. 



The effect produced depends on two sets of conditions : — 

 first, the species of the snake, its actual state at the time, the 

 quantity and quality of its poison, and the circumstances 

 under which it inflicts the bite ; second, the species, size, and 

 vigour of the living creature, and the circumstances under 

 which it is bitten. 



Snake-poison is essentially a neurotic, and, when it takes full 

 effect, it appears to kill by annihilating, in some unknown way, 

 the source or distribution of nerve-force. It is also an irritant ; 

 for if applied to a mucous membrane or to the conjunctiva, it 

 soon induces violent inflammation ; absorption at the same 

 time takes place, and symptoms of poisoning are produced. It 

 is also, to a certain extent, a septic ; for if the bitten creature 

 survive, the wound and the parts about it are apt to slough and 

 to induce septiciemia. The poison acts by absorption — that is, 

 by entering the circulation, and so reaching the nerve-centres, 

 it produces, according to the quantity or intensity of the 

 venom, either death or severe local and constitutional symptoms. 

 If it find entry by a large ^•ein, such as the femoral or jugular, 

 life may be destroyed in a few seconds. 

 The blood itself is affected by tlie poison. 

 Dr. Fayrer has not been a])le to detect any corpuscular 

 changes, nor has he any exact information on the chemical 

 changes it undergoes, or may have undergone; but that it is 

 altered there can be little doubt ; and in poisoning of the 

 lower animals, at all events by the Yiperidae, its coagulability 

 after death is generally destroyed, whilst after death by poison- 

 ing by tlie colubrine snakes the blood generally coagulates.* 



* Our expeiiments in England have not confirmed these observations made in 

 Ind.a. The blood of animals dead from Daiota-poisoning has been found to 



