REPTILES 



393 



scarified, was washed and kept constantly moist 

 with a similar, but stronger solution. This treat- 

 ment was continued for several hours^ and relieved 

 all the distressing symptoms. The snake was of 

 the kind termed mockasin. 



The same writer observes, that he has seen litmus 

 paper turned red by water, in which the teeth of a 

 rattle-snake had been steeped. He also recom- 

 mends as a substitute for the salt of tartar, the ley 

 of wood ashes, which may be extemporaneously 

 made by mixing ashes with water, passing it through 

 a cloth, and permitting the sediment to subside. 



Volatile alkali in the various forms of hartshorn, 

 solid volatile sal ammoniac, eau de luce, and spi- 

 rits of sal ammoniac, have been also found effica- 

 cious in preventing the progress of, and curing the 

 symptoms resulting from the bites of venomous snakes 

 in the East Indies ; the dose is 20, 30, or 40 drops 

 in water, every five, eight, or ten minutes, till the 

 sufferer is relieved. The reader may be assured 

 that there is^ such a body of the most respectable 

 testimony in favour of the efficacy of this remedy, 

 that to neglect its use would be to trifle with life* 

 Where ligatures are admissible, they should not be 

 neglected, but these cannot be retained beyond a 

 certain period, and that is so short, that all the aid 

 we can expect from their application is to admit of 

 time sufficient for administering the alkaline reme- 

 dies. Every plantation, especially in the southern 

 States, should be supplied with a bottle of this cheap 

 medicine. 



The subject of the rattle-snake must not be passed 

 over without noticing the extraordinary power gene- 



M m 



