A CASE OF SNAKE-BITE. 



BY THE VICTIM, C. S. BBIMLEY. 



On January 21, 1901, I was bitten by a small Cottonmouth 

 {Ancistrodon ftiscivorus) about 260 mm, or 10 2-5 inches long". 

 It happened thus: I had received a number of small snakes 

 tied up in bags to keep them separate, in the pail they were 

 sent in, and there was nothing- in the accompanying- letter to 

 lead me to think a Cottonmouth was among them (the shipper 

 knew the species). After I had taken this snake out. of the 

 bag and seen what it was, I dropped him back again and took 

 hold of it in order to tie it up, when the snake immediately 

 struck at me and drove one fang into the fourth finger of my 

 left hand, on the under side of the last joint. 



I sucked the wound well and then ligatured it below the 

 puncture, and immediately went to my doctor (A. O. Jones), 

 taking about one-half an hour to get there. He cupped the 

 wound with a bottle half full of ammonia, getting a good 

 deal of blood, and then injected potassium permanganate into 

 the finger just below the wound which caused it to pain me 

 exceedingly, flooded whole finger with the solution and 

 removed the ligature. I then returned home. 



The pain was a sharp smart till about half way to the 

 doctor's, when it nearly ceased. After g-etting- back home 

 finger began to swell and a burning ache set in in wound, 

 which though not very violent kept me awake some time after 

 I had' retired. I got to sleep about 12, woke up at 4 A. M. 

 and swelling had spread considerably over back of hand but 

 finger hurt less; a slight feeling of soreness showed itself in 

 my arm both above and below the elbow and in the morning- 

 there was a slight soreness at the shoulder. Permanganate 

 bandage was kept on finger till 4 A. M. January 22 and was 

 soaked twice with the solution (after coming- home and before 



1904] 137 



