SNAKE-POISON LITERATUBE. 47 



6ih Friction. 



After 4 days 1° savori Francais, 1° Chandelle mole, 2 

 spoonsful of white rum, melt together ou fire, and rub 

 part very hot." (This could do only harm in a true case 

 of snake-poisoiiing.) 



7ih to avoid pains. 



Take one leaf smoking tobacco (or merely) apply above, 

 friction of No. 6 on the inside part, pass it on fire and 

 apply over the part for 3 or 4 days, then wash the part 

 with some hot water, and the patient is radically cured." 

 Mirabile dictu. 



By the way, there is internal evidence that the 

 above prescriptions are certainly not amongst 

 those which have been obtained '• at great cost" 

 from the Africans. Where did these Africans 

 learn to make " laudanum" and " spirits of 

 hartshorne ? " 



The old, old story of the mangoose is introduc- 

 ed to shew that there certainly must be an etoryofthe 



J mangoose. 



antidote in existence. In fact, all the old, dead, 

 buried, and disintegrated post hoc ergo propter 

 hoc arguments are exhumed and patched together 

 to do duty as veritable and convincing proofs. A 

 man is bitten, therefore by a poisonous snake. 

 The snake was poisonous, therefore the man is 

 poisoned. The man is poisoned, therefore he will ' 



The old, old 



