SNAKE-POISON LITEUATURE. 1 65 



described at page 71 of Dr. Weir Mitchell's 

 " Essay on Snake-Poison, " which Dr. Halford 

 informs us he had "studied with the greatest 

 pleasure and profit," and yet he can assure us, by 

 way of remark to his experiment above-mention- 

 ed, that " it seems clear that the ammonia obviat- Dr. HaUord's 



conclusiona 



ed the tendency to death. Expermient 2. — A unwarranted. 

 dog was bitten by a tiger-snake — vomiting, pur- 

 ging, and staggering occurred throughout the day. 

 The next morning the dog was found "lying 

 down apparently at the point of death, totally 

 paralyzed, but sensible." Then, three more, and 

 again five minims of ammonia were injected, but 

 still the animal did not immediately get up and 

 walk — as we shall presently see was the result in 

 Dr. Halford's " cases " — it merely " seemed im- 

 proved, and the breathing fuller." And it even re- 

 mained in the same state the whole of the next 

 day and the day after that ; although ten more 

 minims of ammonia were injected. It did not 

 immediately recover, and was not reported well 

 until eight days after the bite. There are sever- 

 al worse cases on record, in which recovery oc- 

 curred, and we find, after the description of this 

 experiment, the word " recovery, " which is not 

 quite synonymous with " cured." Experiment 3. — 



