after Death from Snake-bite. 10 
EXAMINATION OF THE POISON. 
It was distinctly acid, nearly as thick as fluid honey, 
becoming more so on exposure. Under the microscope, 
besides epithelium and much molecular matter, it contained 
nucleated cells of the same size as those I have described as 
found in the blood, but I saw no spot, or macula, in the 
circumference, neither had I at this time detected any in the 
~ ¢eells found in the blood, and by the next day my assistant 
had unknowingly thrown away my little drop of poison, and 
the cobra being in spirit, with the poison-glands laid open, 
the form of the cells was destroyed. 
We have now to ask the very important question, what 
are these cells? They differ from the white corpuscles in 
size and in the presence of the spot, or macula, on the 
circumference. The diameter of the white corpuscle 
being, according to Beale, from zp inch to y@ inch; he 
gives a drawing of one, however, nearly oa inch, but the 
shape is different, and he describes no macula which so emi- 
nent an observer could not have overlooked with the = of an 
inch objective. (My own observations were made with a 
splendid + of Ross and the % inch of Smith and Beck). 
Gulliver says the diameter of the white corpuscle is x 
of an inch, and Carpenter ni seldom larger or smaller. 
Mr. Ralph figures it about 3 of an inch. 
My own observations on the blood have been very nume- 
rous, and as regards the white corpuscle, its size,and 1 believe 
also its state of maturity, vary very much. Theaverage being 
inman 4; of an inch, in the dog xm. When much larger it 
my be difficult to distinguish it from the new cell. The 
largest white corpuscles I have ever seen were in the blood 
taken from the umbilical artery of a pup, while in utero. 
But when the white corpuscles abound in the blood, there 
is usually an increased amount of fibrine also, as in the Lew- 
cocythemia of Bennett and Leucocytosis of Virchow. The 
latter author speaks also of their existence in large numbers 
in cases where there is a diminution of fibrine as in typhoid 
fever. In these cases of snake-poisoning there was a defi- 
ciency of fibrine in the blood allying them, if we are to look 
upon these cells as white corpuscles, to the leukemia of 
fever, in which, according to Virchow, the lymphatics are 
unaffected. 
