THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 87 



No. 5. 

 Cobra bite. Some local effects. No toxaemia. 

 Reported by Dr. Nicholson (Indian Snakes, p, 160). 



Two pariahs, who used to bring snakes, got drunk one Sunday 

 and were bitten whilst playing with the snakes they were keeping 

 to bring me on the morrow. They came to me in great fright. 

 One had two lacerated fang marks on a finger, his hand also being 

 swollen; the other was slightly scratched on the leg. The former 

 had fastened a sti'ing round the finger above the wound ; the latter 

 had done nothing, the scratch being trifling. The seriously wound- 

 ed man wanted medicine, as the wounds were inflicted about a 

 quarter of an hour before. I did not see much use in interference, 

 and as the man had a good quantity of arrack inside of him I con- 

 tented him by means of a draught of water coloured pink with 

 dentifrice lotion, and they soon took their departure without any 

 constitutional symptoms appearing. The man's hand was swollen 

 when I saw him next day. The cobra by which these men had 

 been bitten, and which they brought with them, was in perfect 

 condition. 



In these cases the cobras had evidently bitten without injecting 

 poison ; I have no doubt that this' happens frec[uently and that many 

 of the authentic recoveries ascribed to antidotes are really due to 

 the want of malice on a part of the snake. Had I been an antidote 

 enthusiast' I might have made seme nice cases of cure out of these 

 accidents. 



THE HAMADRYAD. 



The Toxins of Hamadryad Venom. 



(1) Toxins operating on nerve cells — 



(a) A depressor that finally paralyses the respiratory 

 centre. (Rogers.) 



(6) A depressor that paralyses the ends of the phrenic 

 nerves. (Rogers.) 



(1^) A cardiotonic agent stimulating heart muscle. (Lamb.) 



