70 CASES. 



patches or rings with white borders. The head marking very 

 peculiar double V shaped mark, the angle directed between the 

 nostrils ; interstitial coloration, yellowish brown, belly white, and 

 with brown or amber spots ; eyes, large, pupils erect, irides yellow ; 

 body, stout and compressed laterally ; poison fangs, large and 

 recurved, size about half an inch. The length of snake was 3 feet 

 5 inches, and from these characters it was identified to be the chain 

 viper (Duboia Bussellii, Gray), the most venomous of Indian vipers. 



The total quantity of the antidote in this case administered 

 was only 110 minims of a one in 120 solution of strychuise acetas, 

 or Jjths of a grain of that drug. Considering the extremely venom- 

 ous nature of the snake and the large quantities of strychnine 

 required in some of the previously reported cases of echis and 

 bungarus bites, the quantity used seems disproportional, but this 

 evidently is explained by the fact tiiat only one of the fangs perforated 

 deeply, and at the back of the foot, probably struck the bone before 

 entering to its full length, the snake thus failing to impart the full 

 quantity of venom at its disposal. 



The chief interest of Dr. Banerjee's cases centres in the fact that 

 they are mostly viper-bites. They prove conclusively, as do Feok- 

 tistow's experiments on the lower animals, that the theory of viper- 

 poison being a blood poison, as asserted in all works on the subject, 

 is not tenable and must be abandoned. If it efifected changes in the 

 blood, incompatible with life, strychnine, acting solely on the nerve- 

 centres, could not possibly obliterate these changes within a few 

 hours or even days On the other hand the successful treatment of 

 bungarus bite with strychnine places it beyond doubt that cobra- 

 poison will also yield to it, if fearlessly and vigorously applied. 



It is most gratifying to the writer to know from good authority 

 that Sir Joseph rayrer,the President of the Medical Board at the India 

 office, has recommended to the English Government the adoption of 

 the strychnine treatment of snakebite in India, and that this adoption 

 will not be subject once more to the doubtful result of experiments on 

 the lower animals, which, according to newspaper reports, were con- 



