SNAKE-POISON LITERATURE. 



69 



ping up the passage and hole in the poison 

 fang with wax, from a similar motive. Some such 

 deception was, no doubt, practised by the Psylli 

 and Marsi, to whom I have previously alluded. 



Fontana did not believe that the poison was 

 absorbed by mucous membranes.* Schlegel, in 

 his " Essai sur la Physionomie des Serpens," 

 refers to the question. It has almost universally 

 been held that the poison of snakes may be taken 

 internally without any ill effects following, but 

 Dr. Fayrer's experiments prove beyond doubt that 

 the poison is not only absorbed, but sometimes 

 proves fatal. I have made several experiments 

 with a view to clearing up this point. I found that 

 the poison kills if taken in large doses on an empty 

 stomach. Schlegel says : — " Appliqu^ sur la lan- 

 gue il produit des sensations semblables d celles 

 produites par la graisse; on pent mime, sui- 

 vant Fontana, le prendre I'interieur, sans que 

 se ddclarent les moindres consequences facheuses, 

 cette observation cependant a et^ recemment con- 

 tredite par les experiences que le Bocteur Her- 

 ing a faites a Surinam sur la nature du venin 

 d'un crotale muet. Ge voyageur, prenant d di- 



* He subsequently altered his opinion, as was pointed 

 out to me by a kindly critic in the Pioneer. 



SchlegeVa 



theory as to 



the poisonous 



nature of venom 



■when taken 



internally. 



