16 INDIAN SNAKE POISONS, 



lower animals coagulated. If examined directly after 

 death no changes can be recognised by the microscope. 

 After a time the corpuscles may change in shape, become 

 crenated, and blood-crystals may form, but at the 

 moment of death no change can be recognised. The 

 parotid glands may be swollen. The brain presents no 

 marked deviation from normal. The veins of the pia 

 mater are usually gorged with blood, and the ventricles 

 often contain turbid fluid. The muscles are often of a 

 dirty red colour. The sub-cutaneous veins bleed freely 

 on section. The lungs may be pale and contain but little 

 blood, but in the human subject they are generally found 

 congested, the bronchi and the smaller tubes being often 

 filled with a thin frothy fluid, and their lining membrane 

 intensely injected. Occasionally portions of food or of 

 remedies are to be found in the air-tubes, the result 

 of administration while the larynx was paralysed. The 

 heart is distended with blood, especially the right side. 

 The liver bleeds freely on incision, and is quite dark 

 from contained blood, but this is not universal. The 

 kidneys vary from normal to excessive congestion, being 

 seen in all stages. The stomach may, or may not, con- 

 tain food — a proof that cobra-poisoning in the human 

 subject does not always cause evacuation of the contents 

 of the stomach. There is no regular change in the in- 

 testinal tract, which may be injected in places. The 

 bladder is generally firmly contracted. 



