﻿1875.] 
  

  

  Action 
  of 
  the 
  Crotaius-poison, 
  fyc. 
  

  

  263 
  

  

  Haemorrhages 
  or 
  hsemorrhagic 
  extravasations 
  and 
  effusions, 
  both 
  local 
  

   and 
  general, 
  occur 
  in 
  all 
  varieties 
  of 
  snake-poisoning. 
  

  

  But 
  we 
  observe 
  (and 
  in 
  this 
  our 
  observations 
  are 
  in 
  accord 
  with 
  those 
  

   of 
  Weir 
  Mitchell) 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  greater 
  tendency 
  to 
  both 
  local 
  and 
  

   general 
  haemorrhage 
  and 
  extravasation 
  of 
  blood 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  colouring- 
  

   matter 
  of 
  the 
  blood, 
  especially 
  as 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  peritoneum, 
  intestines, 
  

   and 
  mesentery, 
  and 
  also 
  probably 
  to 
  a 
  more 
  direct 
  action 
  on 
  the 
  cord 
  

   (vide 
  Experiments 
  L, 
  III., 
  V., 
  VI., 
  VII., 
  IX., 
  XI., 
  XIV., 
  XV.), 
  than 
  in 
  

   poisoning 
  by 
  either 
  cobra 
  or 
  viper 
  (vide 
  Experiments 
  IV., 
  VII., 
  XIII., 
  

   XVL, 
  XVII., 
  XX.). 
  

  

  The 
  viscera 
  and 
  other 
  tissues, 
  after 
  death, 
  are 
  found 
  congested 
  and 
  

   ecchymosed, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent, 
  seeming 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  

   either 
  a 
  preternatural 
  fluidity 
  of 
  blood 
  or 
  some 
  important 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  

   vessels, 
  favouring 
  its 
  exudation, 
  has 
  occurred. 
  

  

  But 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  blood 
  itself 
  we 
  have 
  observed 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  form 
  

   a 
  coagulum 
  after 
  death, 
  generally, 
  if 
  not 
  invariably 
  ; 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  noted 
  to 
  

   be 
  the 
  case, 
  though 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  extent, 
  in 
  the 
  blood 
  of 
  animals 
  that 
  

   have 
  succumbed 
  to 
  the 
  Daboia-Yirus*. 
  

  

  With, 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  coagulation 
  or 
  non-coagulation 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  in 
  

   cases 
  of 
  snake-poisoning, 
  we 
  observe 
  that 
  the 
  following 
  conclusions 
  have 
  

   been 
  arrived 
  at 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Eichards 
  and 
  the 
  Calcutta 
  Committee 
  (vide 
  p. 
  45 
  

   of 
  their 
  Eeport). 
  

  

  " 
  "We 
  now 
  propose 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  the 
  physical 
  changes 
  produced 
  by 
  

   snake-poisoning 
  on 
  the 
  blood. 
  Erom 
  observations 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Eichards 
  and 
  ourselves, 
  we 
  have 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  following 
  con- 
  

   clusions. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  blood 
  appears 
  to 
  remain 
  fluid 
  after 
  death 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances 
  

   noted 
  below 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  1st. 
  "When 
  a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  cobra-poison 
  has 
  been 
  directly 
  in- 
  

   jected 
  into 
  the 
  circulation, 
  as, 
  for 
  example, 
  into 
  an 
  artery 
  or 
  a 
  veint. 
  

  

  " 
  2nd. 
  In 
  cases 
  where 
  animals 
  or 
  men 
  have 
  been 
  poisoned 
  by 
  the 
  bite 
  

   of 
  vipers, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Eussell's 
  viper. 
  

  

  " 
  3rd. 
  In 
  all 
  cases 
  of 
  snake-bite, 
  whether 
  from 
  the 
  poisonous 
  colubrine 
  

   or 
  viperine 
  genera, 
  in 
  the 
  human 
  subject 
  ^. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  blood 
  undergoes 
  either 
  partial 
  or 
  complete 
  coagulation 
  under 
  the 
  

   following 
  conditions 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  1st. 
  When 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  only 
  of 
  the 
  cobra-poison 
  has 
  been 
  

   injected 
  into 
  a 
  vein 
  or 
  an 
  artery. 
  

  

  " 
  2nd. 
  In 
  cases 
  where 
  the 
  lower 
  animals 
  have 
  been 
  bitten 
  by 
  the 
  

   cobra. 
  

  

  " 
  Why 
  the 
  admixture 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  quickly 
  fatal 
  injection 
  of 
  the 
  

   cobra-virus 
  into 
  the 
  circulation 
  of 
  animals 
  should 
  produce 
  comparatively 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  Dr. 
  Fayrer's 
  Indian 
  experiments 
  the 
  blood 
  of 
  animals 
  dead 
  from 
  Daboia-^oi&oxL 
  

   nearly 
  always 
  remained 
  fluid 
  after 
  death, 
  

   f 
  This 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  so. 
  — 
  J. 
  Fayrer. 
  \ 
  Not 
  always 
  so. 
  — 
  J. 
  Fayrer. 
  

  

  