CHAPTEE YII 



OTHEB POISONS OBTAINED BY MALAYS FKOM THE 

 ANIMAL KINGDOM 



REPTILES 



TORTOISES AND SNAKES 



Just as the ancient Egyptians prepared a poison 

 from a roasted centipede (" Anabt-worm") cooked in 

 oil, and their modern sisters a kind of turpentine oil, to 

 cause loss of hair when applied to the head of the 

 " hated one " in harem intrigues and rivalries, so also, 

 with a similar object in view, Malays prepare a gummy 

 iuid by stewing a tortoise in water and adding the 

 decoction so made to one made by boiling a black cobra 

 down in water. This preparation is to be smeared over 

 the head of the person to be annoyed during his or her 

 sleep. The apphcation is said to cause death if 

 untreated by the borrwr, who uses a cat-fish {ikan 

 sSmhilang) as an aptidote, while the priest-leech of 

 ancient Egypt relied upon tortoise shell, roasted, 

 powdered, and cooked in oil from a hippopotamus 

 hoof (Eef. 8). The effect of venom from the hooded 

 snakes on the unbroken skin of man does not appear to 

 be so well known as its action on the conjunctiva. The 

 Kelantan tortoise is a shy little animal said to be very 

 afraid of thunder. Malays say that if it " bites " it 

 will not let go until a thunder-storm comes on : it is the 

 common hinged fi'esh-Water tortoise or terrapin (fcwra, 

 Cyclemys) found in streams, swamps, ponds, and rice 

 fields. 



