THE SNAKES 203 



birth or hatching. The story of the female snake swal- 

 lowing her young in time of danger is purely fallacious. 

 It has originated from observations of cannibal species 

 making a meal of young reptiles. 



Though poisonous snakes are common enough in many 

 parts of the world, the danger from them is not nearly 

 so great as imagined. In India, where a large part of 

 the population goes about bare-legged, the estimated 

 number of human lives lost each year is about 20,000. 

 Conditions are very different in the United States, 

 though the various species of Rattlesnakes, the Copper- 

 head Snake and the formidable Water Moccasin teem 

 over vast areas. Records of snake bites are exceedingly 

 rare in North America. 



Treatment of Snake Bite: With the progression 

 of medical surgery, the treatment of snake bite has been 

 much improved and the percentage of cures is substan- 

 tially greater. The discovery of anti-venine, by Dr. 

 Albert Calmette, of the Pasteur Institute, has produced 

 what might be called the first reliable antidote for the 

 terrible virus of the Elapines and the Vipers. Anti- 

 venine is manufactured along similar lines as the anti- 

 toxic serums for different diseases. A horse is repeat- 

 edly injected with small quantities of venom until 

 strongly immunized. When in that condition a quan- 

 tity of the animal's blood is drawn and the serous portion 

 separated ; the latter constitutes the valuable remedj^. It 

 is now to be obtained in all parts of the world, where 

 branches of the Pasteur Institute have been established. 



Aside from the hypodermic injection of anti-venine — 

 if that is to be obtained — the treatment of snake bite 

 involves several vigorous and absolutely necessary meas- 

 ures. Almost without exception the bite is upon some 

 part of the arm or leg and the first thing to be done is 



