The Zoologist — April, 1870. 2093 



were in confusion, and I thoiiglit it advisable to tate the patient at 

 once to the General Hospital for further treatment. Neither driver 

 nor horse-keepers were to be found, but, with the assistance of a 

 cooly, who happened to be in the compound, the horses were 

 harnessed and put into the carriage, the patient placed in, and I drove 

 to the General Hospital, where the patient was received by the 

 apothecary on duty ; and Dr. Thomas, who was sent for, having 

 arrived, kindly allowed me to continue to suggest the treatment to be 

 pursued. I stayed at the Hospital for five hours, visited the patient 

 again at night, and was delighted to find the man better. When I 

 called at the Hospital next morning, except for the wound and 

 swelling on his fore-arm and hand, the man was quite well, walking 

 up and down the verandah. 



The cobra was quite fresh and vigorous, over five feet in length, 

 just captured and brought in, and the bite was severe and fully 

 injected with poison, as will appear subsequently from the effect it 

 produced on myself. I was in too great a stale of excitement at the 

 time of the occurrence, being so well convinced of its effect, from the 

 numerous experiments I have been and still am carrying out with the 

 cobra poison, to think of risk to myself; and all my anxiety was 

 centred in endeavours to save the poor fellow's life, and it is a source 

 of great pleasure and comfort to me to think that I have been 

 successful in this. 



On sucking the wound the blood had a very peculiar taste, which, 

 although it attracted my attention at the time, 1 cannot now remem- 

 ber to describe. I felt quite well till about some two hours after, 

 whilst at the Hospital, I began to feel a tightness across the gums 

 and roof of the mouth in the space between the canine teeth. This 

 was^ followed by a sharp stinging pain of a very peculiar burning 

 character. I felt restless and uneasy at first, and then languid and 

 faint, when, for the first time, it struck me that I might have imbibed 

 some of the poison into my system. I became somewhat alarmed and 

 anxious, and laid down on one of the Hospital cots in the ward 

 next to the patients for a few minutes, and on telling Dr. Thomas 

 that I was not feeling well, he kindly suggested that I should have 

 some brandy and water, which 1 took, and felt the better for it. At 

 3 P.M. the uncomfortable feeling in my mouth extended not only to 

 the roof internally, but externally in front of the incisor teeth along 

 the gums under the upper lip. I had no appetite for dinner in the 

 evening, and on retiring to bed slept soundly during the night, till 



