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ON THE POISON OF SERPENTS, 



By W. BoAG, EsQ^ 

 SECTION I. 



IPPvOPOSE, in this paper, to make fome enquiry 

 into the nature of the poifon of the ferpent, and 

 to afcertain, as far as I am able, the moft fuccefsful 

 method of removing the difeafe it produces. 



Whether the principles I fliall endeavour to eflab- 

 lifli will be admitted as fatisfactory, or fanftioned by 

 future, and more extenfive experience, I cannot pre- 

 tend to determine; but the difcuiiion cannot be alto- 

 gether deilitute of utility in this climate, where fer- 

 pents are much more numerous, and much more 

 dangerous than in Europe. 



1 SHALL begin by obferving that, by far the greateft 

 number of ferpents are not venomous. Jn the 13th 

 edition of the Syftema NaturiE, publilhed by Profeffbr 

 Gmelin, we find a lift of two hundred and nineteen 

 different kinds of fnakes ; and Linn^us informs us, 

 that about one in ten only are poifonous; we alfo know 

 it to be true, that many fnakes which poiTefs a poi- 

 fonous quality, are not mortal to man, though they 

 may be deftruftive to fmaller animals. 



It would be a defirable thing to be able to afcertain^ 

 from the appearance of a fnake, whether it be ve- 

 nomous or not, but thefe animals fo nearly refemble 



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