﻿PERSONS BITTEN BY SNAKES. 327 



fcctly recovered. On examining the part bitten, I 

 could discover the marks of three flings ; two on one 

 side, and one on the other ; and, from the distance 

 they were asunder, I should judge it a large snake. 

 More than ten minutes did not appear to have elapsed 

 from the time of his being bitten till the medicine 

 was administered. • The wounds healed immediately, 

 and he was able to attend to his duty the next day. 

 Though the specie&of snake was not ascertained, yet 

 I judge, from the flow of saliva from the mouth, con- 

 vulsive spasms of the jaws and throat, as well as from 

 the marks of three fangs, that it must have been a Co- 

 bra de Capello ; and, though I have met with five and 

 six fangs of different sizes in snakes of that species, I 

 never observed the marks of more than two having 

 been applied in biting in any other case which came 

 within my knowledge. 



CASE VI. 



« 

 In September 1786, a servant belonging to Captain 



S , who was then at Benares, was bitten in the 



leg by a large Cobra de Capello. He saw the snake 

 coming towards him, with his neck spread out in a 

 very tremendous manner, and endeavoured to avoid 

 him ; but, before he could get out of his way, the 

 snake seized him by the leg, and secured his hold for 

 some time, as if he had not been able to extricate his 

 teeth. Application was immediately made to his mas- 

 ter for a remedy, who sent to consult me; but, before 

 I arrived, had given him a quantity of sweet oil, which 

 he drank. So soon as I saw him, I directed the usual 

 dose of volatile caustic alkali to be given, which for- 

 tunately brought away the oil from his stomach, or it 

 is probable that the stimulating effect of the volatile 

 spirit would have been so much blunted by it, as to 

 have become inefficacious : a second dose was imme- 

 diately administered, and some time after, a third, 



y 3 



