148 THE LAND-MARKS OF 



place of the bite from, five to ten minutes after 

 the inoculation of the venom, this is promptly 

 neutralized in situ, and the individual runs no 

 further danger. A great number of facts have 

 been observed like this in Bra2dl. If aid is given 

 late, hours after the bite, when the tumefaction 

 of the wounded part is very pronounced, and the 

 phenomena that indicate the entrance of the 

 venom into the circulation have already declared 

 themselves, injections, repeated in various parts 

 of the wounded members, parting from the wounds 

 made by the fangs of the reptile, still give very 

 good results. Nor is it difl&cult to explain the 

 good results in this case. The venom, as I have 

 said, acts first locally, and only enters the general 

 circulation, after the lapse of a certain time, and 

 by portions. The permanganate of potash, meet- 

 ing in the tissues with the venom, which is little 

 by little diffusing itself, neutralises it in the 

 various points where it has been diffused, and 

 thus stops the source of supply. The entrance of 

 new and successive portions of the venom into the 

 general circulation being thus impeded, the or- 

 ganism takes charge of the elimination of what 

 has already been introduced, and which was in- 

 sufficient to compromise the life of the individual." 



