ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 943 



growing livid in proportion to the embarrassment of this vital 

 function. The head droops, the lower lip falls away from the teeth, 

 so that the saliva, which cannot be swallowed owing to paralysis 

 of the throat, dribbles from the mouth. Movements of the tongue 

 become impaired so that speech is rendered difficult, and the 

 eyelids droop. Finally, death is brought about by asphyxia owing 

 to the complete paralysis of the respiratory centre, and the final 

 issue is frequently ushered in by convulsions. Consciousness is 

 retained till the end. The heart is also affected in this form of 

 snake poisoning owing to a synchronous paralysis of the vaso- 

 motor centre, hence fainting with a feeble pulse may occur, directly 

 attributable to the poisoning process quite apart from fright, or 

 pain. In this last respect this poison differs in its effects from 

 those of the common krait, and the cobra in both of which there is 

 an element that by stimulating the heart muscle, and contracting 

 the arterioles, counteracts the effects on the vaso-motor centre. 

 Death may not occur till the 2nd or 3rd day from this type of 

 toxsemia. 



In the second type of disturbance symptoms are not evoked till 

 the 5th day or later, and are then the result of a chemical des- 

 truction of cells in the central nervous system (due to neurolysin) . 

 Though the toxic element responsible for this form of disturbance 

 is met with in common krait and cobra venoms, it only occurs in 

 quantities insufficient to make its presence evident, but in banded 

 krait venom, and in this only of the snakes whose poison has been 

 investigated, serious symptoms are evoked by its presence. There 

 are serious depression of spirits, loss of appetite, high fever, and 

 very rapid and extreme emaciation. The kidneys become diseased, 

 so that the urine contains albumen, and diminishes in quantity. 

 Discharges from the eyes and nose and other mucous surfaces accom- 

 pany the above, and death occurs in a few days from exhaustion. 



Treatment. — In considering the treatment of a bite from this 

 snake it is best to begin by recalling the various methods which 

 have been tested experimentally in animals, and found futile, as 

 well as other orthodox measures. Both Lamb and Rogers have 

 tested the efficacy of Calmette's antivenene, and proved it useless, 

 thereby falsifying Calmette's claims in this direction. 



