192 The Golondrina Plant. 



extremely dangerous but not always fatal. The poison itself has 

 no effect on the rattlesnake, though deadly to other snakes, yet by 

 biting itself in a vital part the snake has power to commit suicide. 

 This has frequently been witnessed and abundantly testified to and 

 given rise to the popular fallacy that it dies from its own poison. 



Under normal conditions of health the venom is undoubtedly 

 harmless to the human system if taken internally. Yet such experi- 

 ments might prove fatal to some individuals or under unfavorable 

 conditions of health. 



We will again quote Dr. Mitchell that a clearer view of the sub- 

 ject may be obtained : 



' If we mix any venom with a strong enough solution of potassa 

 or soda we destroy its power to kill. A solution of iodine or per- 

 chloride has a like but a lesser capacity and so also has bromo- 

 hydric acid; but by far the best of all is permanganate of potash. 

 If this agent be injected at once or soon through a hollow needle 

 into the fang wound wherever it touches venom it destroys it. It 

 also acts in like destructive fashion on the tissues, but, relatively 

 speaking, this is a small matter. If at once we can cut off the circu- 

 lation by a ligature and thus delay absorption we certainly lessen 

 the chances of death ; yet, as the bites occur usually when men are- 

 far from help, it is but too often a futile aid, although it has cer- 

 tainly saved many lives. The first effect of venom is to lessen sud- 

 denly the pressure under which the blood is kept while in the 

 vessels. Death from this cause must be rare, as it is active for so 

 short a time. Any alcoholic stimulants at this period would be 

 useful ; but, despite the popular creed, it is now pretty sure that 

 many men have been killed by the alcoholism to relieve them from 

 the snake bite, and it is a matter of record that men dead drunk 

 with whisky and then bitten had died of the bite. For the conse- 

 quences to the blood and to the nerve centers which follow an 

 injection of venom there is, so far as I am aware, no antidote ; but 

 as to this I do not at all despair and see clearly that our way to 

 find relief is by competently learning what we have to do. * * * 

 We may hope to find remedies which will stimulate and excite the 

 vital organs which venom enfeebles. In this direction lie our hopes 

 of future help. Anything which delays the fatal effect of the poison 

 is also a vast advantage in treatment.' 



GOLONDRINA. 



Several cases of rattlesnake bites have been recently described to 

 the writer, where five drops of ammonia taken in a glass of whisky 

 every five minutes several times in succession resulted in relief and a 

 cure. Ammonia and whisky, with sweet oil or any oily substance, 



