CHAPTER XII. 



The Scientific Treatment of Snake Bite. 



Permanganate of Potash — Results of Experiments — 

 The Serum Treatment. 



Experiments by Doctors Brunton. Fayrer, Rogers, Martin, 

 Lamb, Richards, Lacerda, and other eminent authorities show 

 that perchloride of platinum, chloride of gold, and permanganate 

 of potash are all chemical antidotes to the venom of snakes. 

 It was found that if any one of these three salts was mixed with 

 an equal weight of venom it instantly neutralized it. Perman- 

 ganate of potash being the cheapest and easiest to apply was 

 selected, carefully tested, and found to have the power of imme- 

 diately destroying the toxic properties of snake venom. It was 

 found to be equally effective with the venom of a great number 

 of venomous snakes — in fact all kinds of venom. By experi- 

 mentation I have found it kills the poisonous properties of the 

 venom of all South African snakes, and that of venomous insects. 

 The potash was mixed in equal proportions with various snake 

 venoms and injected direct into the veins and tissues of animals, 

 and no symptoms of poisoning followed. This has been tested 

 on various species of animals by many other experimenters.* 



In the work on the " Poison of Venomous Snakes," by 

 Doctors Brunton, Rogers, and Fayrer, there is the following 

 interesting account of some experiments by Dr. V. Richards : — 



" In the winter of i88i a number of experiments were made 

 by Dr. Vincent Richards, who founds like the previous experi- 

 menters, that Cobra venom was completely destroyed by per- 

 manganate of potash when mixed with it in vitro, so that death 

 did not follow the injection of the mixture either hypodermically 

 or into a vein. He found also that when Cobra poison was 

 injected into a dog and the injection made either immediately 



* A one per cent, solution of permanganate of potash or chloride of gold 

 will neutralize snake venom. 



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