MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 811 



reptile. Finally it appears that these young vipers are harmless for the first 

 fortnight of their existence. 



W. B. Bannekman, Lt.-Col., M.D., B.Sc, F.R.S.E., L.M.S., 



(Director, Bombay Bacteriological Laboratory ,) 

 J. P. Pocha, L. M. & s., Senior Asst. Surgeon, 

 (J« charge of the Venom Dept., Bombay Bacteriological Laboratory^) 

 Parel, Bombay, lbth August 1906. 



No. V.— RECOVERY FROM A COBRA BITE. 



The following incident came under my personal observation and I com- 

 municate it to you in the hope that it will be of some interest to your Society. 



Some time in June last — to be exact — on the 20th, my dogs attacked a cobra 

 which had found a resting place in a "dummy" hole in my garden. One of the 

 dogs — a bull terrier — in unearthing the reptile got bitten in the upper lip ; the 

 snake had in its apparent rage clung with some strength to the lip and it gave 

 the dog no little difficulty to free itself. The cobra was despatched and 

 measured a little over 4 feet 3 inches. It was jet black in colour. 



I immediately set to work and after having the dog's lip washed with watei, 

 -applied a strong solution of vinegar and table salt. I kept up the application 

 rigorously for about ten minutes or more. During this time the dog frothed 

 copiously from the mouth and exhibited signs of considerable weakness. At 

 one time the dog appeared to me all but dead. I persevered however and 

 after five minutes brisk application was glad to find that the dog shewed signs 

 of recovering. I immediately gave her a cup of milk which she drank with 

 relish. To prevent her from becoming drowsy, I kept up a brisk run with 

 her for some 45 minutes. I could think of no better cure than this, so 

 retired for the night, the attack having occurred at about 9-20 p.m. 



Next morning and for a few days after, her face was very much swollen. 

 The swelling however disappeared by the end of the week and she recovered 

 completely. 



And here I might mention that on the day of the fight the dog was two 

 weeks pregnant. I thought at the time (my supposition has since been 

 confirmed) that the excitement and above all the snake-bite would have some 

 effect on her unborn pups. What I relate now explains the effects. 



The day before yesterday, Thursday, at about 4 p.m., she gave birth pre- 

 maturely to four pups. They came away singly at intervals of from six to 

 seven hours and each time with an extensive discharge of some dark-green 

 matter. The discharge continued till yesterday morning when the ordinary 

 after-flow of birth occurred. 



She is ten years old and how she has survived through all this terrible time 

 I am at a loss to understand. 



And now occurs what seems to me to be the most direct effect of the snake 

 poison. 



Another terrier of mine (a dog) a great friend of the slut's and who shared 

 with her the honours of the fight, somehow happened to lick up a small 

 33 



