262 VENOMS 



In the case of animals intoxicated by venom, injections of 

 strychnine, morphia, nicotine, or curare in small doses always 

 prove ineffective ; they even considerably assist the progress of 

 the intoxication and hasten death. The use of these drugs in the 

 case of human beings should therefore be absolutely forbidden. 



It appears, on the other hand, that alcohol and coffee, or tea, 

 absorbed by ingestion, are very often beneficial. Indeed, it was 

 long ago observed that the swallowing of alcohol until symptoms 

 of drunkenness appear retards or diminishes the phenomena of 

 torpor and paresis that precede the ultimate phase of the intoxica- 

 tion. Its use may therefore be recommended when it is impossible 

 to have recourse to the only treatment really specific that modern 

 science places in our hands — antivenomous serum-therapy. It is 

 important, however, to state that, when serum is used, alcohol must 

 be forbidden. The latter hinders the effects of the former. 



In practice, the rational treatment of the bite of a venomous 

 snake must be directed towards : — 



(1) Preventing the absorption of the venom. 



(2) Neutralising, by the injection of a sufficient quantity of 

 antitoxic serum, the effects of the venom already absorbed. 



In order to prevent the absorption of the venom introduced 

 into the wound, the first precaution to be taken is to compress 

 the bitten limb by means of a ligature of some kind, such as a 

 handkerchief, as close as possible to the bite, and between it and 

 the base of the limb. The ligature must be tightly twisted, and, 

 by compressing the tissues around the bite, an attempt should be 

 made to squeeze out the venom that may have been introduced 

 into them. The expulsion of the poison should be hastened, either 

 by making an incision 2 or 3 cm. in length and 1 cm. in depth in 

 the direction taken by the fangs of the reptile and also parallel to 

 the axis of the bitten member, or by sucking the wound hard. 



The ligature on the hmb should not be appHed for more than 

 half an hour ; if it were kept on longer it would interfere with the 

 circulation to a dangerous degree, and would certainly injure the 



