HOW VENOM GETS IN AND OUT OF THE BLOOD 307 



How Venom gets in and out of the Blood, 



The nourishment and other substances held in solution in 

 the blood pass out through the walls of the microscopically 

 small capillary blood vessels into the lymph by means of which 

 they reach the cells to nourish, paralyse or kill them, according 

 to the nature of the substance. Now, suppose you take a glass 

 bottle without a bottom. Over the bottom part stretch a piece 

 of bladder and tie it securely. Make a solution of sulphate of 

 copper and place it in the bottle. You will find it will not ooze 

 through the bladder membrane. 



You then place the bottle in a glass of 

 water. Presently you will observe the water 

 becoming blue. This shows that the copper 

 sulphate is oozing through the bladder into 

 the water. This is called Osmosis, and 

 shows exactly how nourishment, poisons, 

 etc., pass through the walls of the blood 

 vessels into the watery lymph by which 

 they are surrounded, and reach the cells 

 to rebuild or poison them. At the same 

 time the water from outside will ooze 

 through the membrane over the bottom 

 of the bottle, and mingle with the contents, 

 until the solution inside and outside the 

 bottle is of the same density. Now, when 

 a snake discharges its venom into the 

 watery lymph amongst the blood vessels 

 under the skin, a portion of it oozes 

 through the walls of the tiny capillary 

 blood vessels and enters the blood-stream. 

 It is carried along with the blood, and if 

 it be Viperine (Adder) venom, it will at once begin to attack the 

 capillary walls and the blood, dissolving the red colouring matter 

 out of the red corpuscles, and otherwise breaking it up, causing it 

 to ooze out through the blood-vessel walls and spread in dark 

 bluish-black patches under the skin, and amongst the muscles. If 

 it be Cobra venom it will ooze out through the walls of the blood 

 vessels, and be absorbed by the cells of various nerve centres 

 in the brain and top of the spinal cord, and poison them. 



Fig. 131 



