SNAKE-POISON LITERATURE. 133 



victim insensible to pain, at least for a time. 

 The characteristic local condition he considers to 

 be of the utinost practical importance. External- 

 ly there may be scarcely a sign on the skin to 

 mark the spot where the snake inflicted its bite : 

 or possibly, one or two small punctures, or even 

 a scratch may be found, especially if the part 

 bitten be the fingers.* It may even happen that 

 the part is slightly swollen or discolored. But 

 whatever may be the condition of the external 

 aspect, there will be found a distinct change in 

 the parts beneath. Dr. Wall fully describes the 

 appearances that are found beneath the true 

 skin. Briefly stated, the areolar tissue will be 

 found to resemble red-currant jelly in appear- 

 ance, or if a large quantity of venom has not 

 been injected, there will be only a pinkish 



* When manipulating a large Daboia, some time 

 since, to extract its poison, I found that on one side two 

 fully formed fangs were unsheathed. Now, supposing 

 this snake had effectively bitten a person, we should 

 have found three distinct fang-marka at the bitten part. 

 Not the slightest reliance is to be placed in the appear- 

 ance of the scratches or punctures, though very much 

 stress has been laid upon them as a means of diagnosing 

 the bite of a venomous snake. 



