278 



VENOMOUS ANIMALS 



Arsenie. — Arsenic is principally famous as the Tanjore pill, which was said 

 to contain white arsenic and many other substances, but is quite useless. 



Iodine. — Brainard's remedy was the injection of a solution of lo grains of 

 iodine and 30 grains of iodide of potassium, dissolved in i ounce of water, and 

 probably owed its reputation to its caustic action. 



Bromine was at one time considered a specific. 



Caustics. — Fontana strongly advised caustics, which he considered to be 

 useful, but long experience has shown their inutility. 



Stimulants. — Brandy and whisky have been repeatedly vaunted, and so 

 have sinapisms, warmth to the precordial region, and electricity along the 

 spine, but all these are useless. 



Energetic Movements. — Energetic movements, such as walking the patient 

 about, flogging him, pinching him, have been advised, but are contra-indicated, 

 as tending to exhaustion and to hasten the end . 



Prophylaxis. 



In the tropics Europeans and better-class natives seldom suffer 

 from snake-bite, because they do not sleep on the ground, in the 

 open or in small huts, like the lower-class native. Among the 

 latter, however, any prophylaxis is difficult in regions such as 

 India, because they reverence the cobra, and encourage it to take 

 up its abode in their huts. 



Gardens should be kept free from jungle or long grass, and 

 gratings should be placed on the drains from bath-rooms, as snakes 

 have often been found in these rooms. 



Good strong boots and the puttee pattern of legging should be 

 worn when going shooting or into the jungle. A lantern should 

 be used when walking after dark, and the small permanganate case 

 already mentioned should be carried in the waistcoat pocket in case 

 of accidents. 



LACERTILIA. 

 FAMILY HELODERMID^ Gray, 1838. 

 Synonym. — Helodermatidcs Fitz, 1843. 



In the Helodermidae there are two celebrated lizards — Helodevma horridum 

 Wiegmann and H. suspectum Cope — which were placed by Sumichrast in 

 the family Varanidae, and though this may be disputed, still, it is probable 

 that they are allied closely to that family. 



GENUS HELODERMA Wiegmann, 1834. 

 Heloderma horridum Wiegmann, 1834. 

 Synonym. — Tmchyderma horridum Wiegm., 1829. 



This lizard lives exclusively in Mexico in the hot zone which extends from 

 the western slope of the Cordilleras to the Pacific. It inhabits the hot, dry 

 districts of Jamiltepec, Juchitan, and Tehuantepec, where it lives in holes 

 dug at the roots of trees or under vegetable debris. It is called * escorpion ' 

 by the Creoles, and ' tala-chini ' by the Zapotec Indians; and in 1651 Fer- 

 nandez says it was called ' acastetepon ' by the Mexicans. 



When irritated, there escapes from its mouth a white, glutinous fluid, which 

 is secreted by the large salivary glands. Its bite is much dreaded by the 

 nalives, who say that ill-effects are produced thereby and by eating its flesh. 

 It may reach to a length of nearly five feet when old. We are not aware of 

 observations on the bite or venom of this reptile. 



