98 THE LAND-MARKS OF 



water, and at about 3 A.M. he became slightly 

 delirious" (intoxicated ?) " his imagination being 

 haunted with the idea of a snake coming to 

 attack him." This youth took five hundred 

 minims of tincture of opium. Dr. Butter con- 

 cludes by stating that he gave the man three 

 ounces of Epsom salts. As far as one can judge 

 from the description, I must admit that this case 

 is as unlike a genuine case of snake-poisoning as 

 any I have ever seen or read. Dr. Butter, after 

 trial, condemns Mr. Williams' treatment, the 

 administration of ammonia, which was said by 

 him never to fail, as being sound in principle, 

 but unsuccessful in practice. While it is true 

 that the natives of India suppose that opium- 

 eaters are more proof against snake-poison than 

 other people, there can be no doubt, from recent 

 experiments carried on in the most systematic 

 manner, that the drug is useless in cases of snake- 

 poisoning. 



A curious effect is said sometimes to follow 

 bitte™pa?t. the bite of a snake : — "In 1855 Mr. Souberran 

 published the case of a gentleman who, having 

 been bitten by a viper in the year 1849, asserted 

 that he still experienced attacks of rather severe 

 pain in the arm bitten, with sensations of lassi- 



Recurrence 



