152 INDIAN SNAKE POISONS, 



cold water on the face, whilst the rest of the body is kept 

 dry and warm, have a marked effect in keeping the 

 function alive, also artificial respiration. In regard to 

 the uses of artificial respiration in snake-poisoning, it 

 may be said that though it can never restore function 

 to a paralysed respiratory centre, yet it can undoubtedly 

 ward off, for a time at least, that paralysis. When 

 natural respiration has failed, it is useless to resort to 

 artificial, for though most of the functions of life may 

 be maintained for a considerable time, yet the natural 

 respiratory action does not return. But when only just 

 sufficient poison has been absorbed to impair the respi- 

 ratory function, so that complete cessation is just 

 threatened, artificial respiration, when resorted to before 

 the function has ceased, may enable the crisis to be sur- 

 mounted till the effects of the poison have somewhat 

 passed off; so that the natural respiration, though very 

 slight, and not of itself sufficient to support life, may be 

 maintained till the natural power has returned. The 

 following is a case in point : — 



Experiment II. 



A pariah dog, on whom tracheotomy had been per-* 

 formed a day or two previously, had one cubic centimetre 

 of fresh cobra-poison injected subcutaneously. 



12.30 P.M. Injection. 



12.33 P.M. Thirty cubic centimetres of solution. of 

 caustic potash, containing one gramme of the alkali to 



