362 Drs. Brunton and Fayrer on the Nature and Action [June 19, 



operates secondarily on the blood, either in those cases where great vigour 

 of the animal or smallness of the dose have enabled the creature to resist 

 the immediate and deadly neurotic effects of the poison. Such cases are to 

 be classed among other septicaemias, and are apart from that we are now 

 discussing. 



The question resolves itself into three points of inquiry : — 



1st. Is the nature of the virus such that we may hope to find any 



agent that may overtake, neutralize, and so render it (the virus) harmless 



or inert ? 



2nd. Does the virus exert only a temporarily pernicious action on the 

 ultimate structure of the nerve-centres or other parts of the nerve-appa- 

 ratus ? ii e. is it only inhibitory or hurtful during its presence in the blood, 

 but if removed would leave the nerve-apparatus in a condition to resume 

 its functions (such is curara), or does it enter into some permanent compo- 

 sition or union with the nerve-elements ? or, 3rd, does it so modify their 

 arrangements as to render them permanently incapable of resuming their 

 functions, even after the poison has been eliminated, if it may be so 

 removed, as we know other poisons may ? Such, we fear, may be snake- 

 poison ! 



If the first proposition be correct, then in some subtle chemical agent, 

 or, if the second, in artificial respiration and eliminant action we may have 

 hope of success. 



If the third, what chance have we beyond that of sustaining life as 

 long as artificial respiration be maintained ? for if the nerve-apparatus 

 be permanently injured, no resumption of its functions can take place. 

 Whichever of these propositions be nearest the truth, there must still be 

 a condition in which, from the smallness of the quantity of virus in- 

 oculated, recovery is possible — one in which the full lethal effect of the 

 virus is not produced. In such cases, no doubt, remedial measures may 

 be of avail. 



The results of investigations in India have led to the conclusion, then, 

 that death is brought about by the action of the poison on the cerebro-spinal 

 nerve-centres, paralyzing them, and in some cases, where the quantity of 

 virus was large and introduced into the circulation through the medium 

 of a large vein, acting directly on the ganglia of the heart, causing arrest 

 of its action. In those cases where the quantity of virus inoculated is 

 smaller and of less intensity, according to the condition of the snake or 

 its species (the poison of some genera being less active than that of 

 others), secondary changes, though of what precise kind we are not 

 yet prepared to say, occur in the blood itself, but allied in character to 

 that of other blood-poisons and probably of a zymotic nature. We 

 would merely for the present remark that, in the first class of cases, we 

 believe that remedies or means of treatment other than those which 

 may be of a preventive character are as yet of no avail, whilst in the 

 second it is probable that they may be of some efficacy. So far we 

 believe little more has been done than to go over ground that has 



