122 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X. 



I have also administered Vh c. cm. per kilogramme of cobra antivenene 

 thirty minutes after a dose one-twelfth larger than the minimum lethal dose 

 of the venoms, respectively, of the Sepedon hcemachates, the Crotalus horridus, 

 and the Dienientina serpent, and the rabbits experimented on have recovered. 

 This successful result is all the more remarkable when the intensely destruc- 

 tive local effects of each, but especially of two, of these venoms is recollected. 

 The experiments establishing, and to some extent defining, the antidotal 

 power of cobra venom, further, have been made on animals peculiarly 

 susceptible to the poisonous action of serpents' venom, a circumstance of 

 importance in considering the probable value of the antivenene when used as 

 an antidote in the treatment of animals of less susceptibility, among whom 

 there appears to be sufficient evidence to place human beings. The minimum 

 lethal dose for man probably approximates that of the cat, rather than that 

 of vegetable feeders, such as the rabbit, guinea-pig, and white rat. 



It is also to be remembered that so far the experiments have been restricted 

 to a definition of the antidotal power in certain conditions which were not 

 always the most favourable for the mere prevention of death. Indications 

 have indeed been obtained which render it highly probable that death may be 

 prevented from occurring more certainly by several administrations rather 

 than by one administration of antivenene, and also by the introduction of the 

 antivenene into the same parts as the venom rather than^into distant parts. 



It would be important also to increase the number of the experiments with 

 the larger of the lethal doses of venom as yet administered, and it may be to 

 employ still larger doses, although, for practical application, the larger of 

 the doses that have already been used, as they produce death in about an 

 hour, need not be increased. To these purposes I hope to apply the antivenene 

 soon to be prepared from the rabbits which have already received fifty times 

 the minimum lethal doses of venom, 



Antivenene in the Treatment op Snake-bite in Man. 

 For the actual application of the antivenene to the treatment of snake- 

 poisoning in man, an endeavour is being made to obtain the large quantity 

 that is requisite from a horse now receiving considerable lethal doses of cobra 

 venom. From this source, also, it is hoped that a sufficient quantity will be 

 obtained to allow of the examination of the chemical properties of the 

 antivenene to be coutiuiied, with the object of discovering Ihe constituent or 

 constituents by which the antidotal effects are produced. If the isolation 

 of the antidotal constituent or constituents can be effected, an antivenene of 

 greatly increased power will be obtained, and the range of efficient application 

 will be increased. For these objects, however, it will be necessary to ad- 

 minister to the horse much larger doses than it has yet received ; and the 

 chief difficulty in doing this is to obtain a sufficieiit bupply of cobra venom. 

 By the gi^eat kindness of Surgeon-Colonel Ctmningbam 9 g. of dry venom 



