Il6 ON THE POISON 



conneSted with the order of their attradion for oxygen, 

 and the quantity they contain > it will alfo lead us fur- 

 ther to improve and perfect the practice : for whenever 

 a perfon is bitten by a ferpent, and danger is appre-* 

 hended, every means Ihould be employed, which 

 human ingenuity has difcovcred, of fpeedily oxygen- 

 ating the fyftem. 



Whether the fame method mioht not be appli- 

 cable to the difeafes arifing from fome other animal 

 poifons, is a fubje6t which remains for experience to 

 determine. There is great reafon to believe, that the 

 venereal poifon is removed by this method*, and it is 

 not improbable, that the fame practice might be fuc- 

 cefsful in the Rabies Canhia. This difeafe, however, 

 very feldom makes its appearance in this part of India^ 

 although it is mentioned, by the natives, as not a very 

 uncommon difeafe at Pconali. 1 latelv attended in this 

 place, with Mr. Scott, a man who had been bit by 

 a dog, and who was fuppofed to have fome fymptoms 

 of this difeafe : we fufpecled at firft, and were foon 

 convinced, that the whole was imaginary, for the man, 

 without any affiftance, quickly recovered : and this is 

 the only inftance I have had an opportunity of feeing 

 in India. 



I SHALL conclude this paper, by giving a connefled 

 view, of what appears to be the moil advifeable me- 

 thod, of treating the bite of a ferpent, which is ap- 

 prehended to be venomous. This obvioufly divides 

 itfelf into the external treatment of the wound, and 

 the internal ufe of medicines, to countera6t the a6tion 

 of the poifon in the blood. 



The PfylH, as already mentioned, poncITed a high 

 reputation for curing the bites of ferpents, but their 

 whole method, when ftripped of myilery and fable, 



• 1 refer here to a paper publiflied by Mr. Scott, on the nitric acid. 



confided 



