146 THE LAND-MARKS OF 



Laoerda " But," says Mr. Fletcher, " the most interest- 



reconnnends 



the permanga- ing of Lacerda's discoveries was reported to the 



nate of potash *-* * 



in snake-bite. French Academy of Sciences, in September 1881. 

 After proving the inefficiency of various supposed 

 antidotes, such as perchloride of iron, borax, 

 tannin, and other substances, he found that the 

 permanganate of potassium produced very re- 

 markable results. He obtained his supply of 

 poison by forcing the bothrops (the more deadly 

 variety) to bite cotton- wool, and the venom 

 which poured out upon it was dissolved in eight 

 to ten grammes of distilled water. A syringe 

 full of this solution was injected into the cellular 

 tissue of the thigh or groin of a dog. In from 

 one to two minutes after, the same quantity of 

 a filtered one per cent, solution of permanganate 

 of potassium was injected. The dogs, examined 

 the next day, exhibited no evidence of injury 

 except a trifling local irritation at the point of 

 injection, nevertheless, this same solution of 

 venom, injected into the tissues without the 

 counter poison, produced great swelling, abscesses 

 and extensive loss of substance." 



But to quote again from Lacerda's letter to 

 Sir Joseph Fayrer : — 



