146 INDIAN SNAKE POISONS, 



A native woman was brought into the Presidency 

 Hospital, Calcutta, by her friends, who stated she had 

 put her hand into a dark corner of her house to reach 

 something, when she was bitten in the hand by a snake. 

 There was a distinct mark of a wound on the knuckle, 

 and she herself was in such profound collapse as to be 

 almost pulseless and quite speechless. An incision 

 through the skin at the wound revealed the fact that 

 the underlying tissue was perfectly normal. Her 

 friends were told that there was no danger, and in 

 a short time she walked out of the hospital perfectly 

 well. 



On another occasion a young man, a pure European, 

 was admitted, having been bitten, whilst in his com- 

 pound, by a snake on the finger. A tight ligature had 

 been applied to the arm soon after the bite, and this 

 was replaced at once by an india-rubber band. An in- 

 cision revealed extensive areolar inflammation, and a free 

 excision was at once performed, but only enough to secure 

 safety, as the subsequent sloughing from the eflPect of 

 the poison showed. He ultimately completely recovered. 



The great advantage of the india-rubber ligature is 

 that it gives time for the patient to be removed to where 

 he can obtain proper attention, and also affords oppor- 

 tunity to the surgeon for consideration and deliberate 

 action. That no further absorption can go on after 

 this form of ligature is properly applied, the follawing 

 experiment will show. 



