IV. 



important researches into the chemical nature of 

 snake-venoms, which must, of course, from the 

 difficulties of the enquiry and the comparatively 

 inadequate supply of the venoms, be slowly pro- 

 gressive, but I am constrained to admit there 

 are yet some very material questions which 

 remain unanswered. Some of the more import- 

 ant are these : — globulins and the albumins are 

 innocuous ; how then do the venom-globulins 

 and venom -albumins differ from them ? Whence 

 do the latter obtain their subtle toxic proper- 

 ties? There must be a^Zus to the proteids. What 

 is its nature ? 



There are several good workers in the field — 

 Wolfenden, Warden, Waddell, besides Weir 

 Mitchell and Reichart, the originators of the 

 "new departure," and it may be confi.dently 

 hoped that in the near future this recondite 

 subject will be satisfactorily elucidated. But 

 then comes the all-important question. Where 

 shall we find the antidote ? Wolfenden says, we 

 must look for that amongst the compounds 

 which will oxidise the venom proteids alone. 

 Potassium permanganate fails to counteract the 

 lethal effects of the venom, even when injected 

 into the circulatory system, because it oxidises 



