OFSERPENTS. ^^ 



That King yames, when Duke of Tork, caufed this Lichen 

 Cinereus Terrefiris to be given to a whole Kennel of Dogs bit by 

 a mad one, v/hich were all cured, except one of them, to whom 

 none of it was given *. 



I N Norii'ay, and on a great Mofs near Warrington, are many 

 Serpents; and their Wounds are cured by Fi?;zzV^-2re«(:/t'. 



In Africa, they have an odd Way of curing Perfons hurt by 

 Poifonj they rub the Venom of Snakes with their ovv'n Spittle, be- 

 tween two Stones and having mixed them well, they fcratch 

 upon the Wings of the Stomach, and to the Part fo icratch'd;^ 

 which is bloody, they apply a fmall Part of the Mixture ; the reft 



they take ihwardly.-- This never fails to expel the Poifon in the 



Wound, or in any other Part affedled with it : In about a Month's 

 time a perfedl Cure is made; in order to v/hich, when they 

 iudge the Poifon is expell'd, they cleanfe the Wound, and apply 

 to it the leaves of Buchu, Dacha, and o'ihs.x falutiferous Herbs: 

 But they fay, the leaft Negled: of fuch a Wound, (be it by a poi- 

 fonous Arrow, or any other way) is dangerous '\-. 



S N A K E-w o o D is very common in the liland o? Ceylon,^ (fup- 

 pos'd to be the Taprobane of Ptolemy') which is much efteem'd by 

 the Eaft-hidians, who, with the Powder of it taken in Water or 

 Wine, cure many Diftempers, and among others, the Stings of 

 Serpents, which abound in that Country. 



Their Naturalifts fay, the Virtue of it was firft difcovered 

 by a fmall Creature, like our Ferrets, which when flung by Ser- 

 pents, runs and eats of the Snake- wood, and is cur'd. 



Father Regnault, fpeaking of Poifons, mentions feveral 

 Methods of Cure, as Incifions, Ligatures, Cauftics, Vomits, Oil 

 of Olive, Baths, Treacle, Juice of Citron. 



By a Ligature, which hinders the Poifon from fpreading. 



By Cauftics, or red-hot Iron brought within a certain Di- 

 flance of the Wound ; becaufe Heat attenuates the Poifon by its 

 Adion, and diffipates it. 



This Effed; of Poifon has fome Analogy with that which 

 happens upon fyringing (thro' Curiolity) fome acid Liquor into 



the 



* PhilofophicalT'ranfail. Numb. 443, forO^. 1736. 



f Peter Kolhenh prefent State of the Cape of Good Hope, and of the HottenMSy 

 writ in High-German, and tranflated by Mr. Guida Medley, p. J04— 5, 



