1 56 KITA JIMA. 



irregular respiration, without any marked changes being observed upon post- 

 mortem examination. If a dose which would kill a rabbit in an. interval at some 

 time between thirty minutes and several hours is given intravenously, symptoms 

 identical with the ones which appear after subcutaneous injection are evident, 

 and post-mortem examination shows clots in the pericardium, endocardium and in 

 the mucous membrane of the stomach. Hematuria is seldom present. 



Five one-hundredths of 1 per cent of the dose which is lethal in subcutaneous 

 injections brings death to the animal when it is injected into the brain. In the 

 latter event perturbation, agitation and convulsions occur and death is preceded 

 by gasping. On post-mortem examination, clots are found at the site of the 

 injection. 



Intraperitoneal injection develops the same symptoms as the subcutaneous 

 ones, the onlj 7 difference being in the severe hyperemia and ecchymosis of the 

 bowel and other abdominal organs. 



In the majority of instances the experimental animals recover gradually when 

 the dose is sublethal. Only now and then death occurs secondarily accompanied 

 by emaciation and conjunctivitis. Other animals die from septicaemia contracted 

 by secondary infection through the ulceraton of the skin. 



SYMPTOMS OF HABU POISONING IN MAN. 



The region of the bite is of a dark, purple color and shows great 

 swelling, accompanied by a severe burning pain, the latter being charac- 

 teristic of habu venom intoxication. The lymph glands near the bite 

 also become enlarged and sensitive to pressure. Loss of appetite and 

 vomiting with colic and trouble in the thorax occur in chronic cases, 

 the face is pale; the pulse feeble and rapid (90 to 120). In most 

 instances respiration remains normal. A slight fever is not infrequent. 

 The pupils are neither dilated nor contracted. A cold sweat ending 

 in death finally sets in. The end is also preceded by coldness of the 

 extremities and dyspnoea. Blood in the urine or in the fasces has been 

 observed. Sensory or motor disturbances, which persists after recovery 

 from acute symptoms, are usually clue to secondary infections or im- 

 proper treatment. 



HEMOLYSIS. 



Habu venom consists of hemorrhagic, neurotoxic and hemolytic 

 constituents. The hemolytic action of various kinds of snake venom 

 was observed by M. C. Martin in Sydney, by Calmette, Cunningham and 

 others. Flexner and rToguchi, 2 Kyes, 3 and Ishizuka 4 have each pub- 

 lished thorough investigations on the subject. They agree in respect to 

 the complexity of the hemolytic action of snake venom and find that 

 this action is produced by the cooperation of complements and ambo- 

 ceptors. Kyes discovered that lecithin can act as complement in the 

 hemolysis produced by venom. The hemolytic action varies with the 



2 J. Exp. Med. (1002), 6, 277. 



3 Bcrl. Klin. Wchnseh. (1902), 39, 8S6, 918.; ibid. (1903), 40, 21, 57, 982. 



4 Ztschr, f. eccp. Path. u. Ther. Heft 1, 4. 



