148 INDIAN SNAKE POISONS, 



that no ligature can avail anything, as the poison is 

 already in the hlood. In another extreme case in the 

 other direction, the poison may only have heen injected 

 in just sufiBcient quantity to destroy life, in a part far 

 removed from active vitality, perhaps in a person with 

 languid circulation ; say on the dorsal surface of one of 

 the toes. Under these circumstances it would be long 

 before the whole of the poison would be absorbed, and 

 anything short of total absorption would fail to destroy 

 life. Here there would be a long interval during which 

 the application of the ligature would be useful. As 

 the exact circumstances of a bite can never be known 

 it is right in all cases to apply the ligature at once, and 

 never to hesitate as to whether it will be useful or not. 

 A very short hesitation may cost the patient's life, and 

 as no injury is caused by its application, there can be 

 no question as to the expediency of applying it in all 

 cases as soon as possible after the infliction of the 

 wound. And it is of great desirability that the excision 

 should also follow speedily. 



It may be asked, considering there are several sub- 

 stances that destroy snake-poison — such as certain 

 metallic salts, tannic acid, potassic hydrate, and potassic 

 permanganate — why should not these substances be 

 used in preference to excision. The reply is obvious. 

 If we could know the exact position of the poison, and 

 if there were only one deposit we might possiblyesuc- 

 ceed in destroying it by injection. But to remove the 



