VIP 
'ditioii, he was put to bed, where his arm was 
a^ain bathed over a pan of charcoal, and rubbed 
with olive-oil heated in a ladle over the charcoal 
by Dr. Mortimer's direftion, the phyfician who 
drew lip the account. From this lad operation 
he declared that he found im.mediate eafe, as 
though by fome powerful charm. Soon after- 
wards, he fell into a profound fleep; and, after 
mne hours reft, awaked about fix the next morn- 
ing perfeftly v/ell : but, in the afternoon, after 
drinking fuch a quantity of rum and ftrong beer 
as to be almoPc intoxicated, the fwelling returned, 
accompanied with much pain and cold fwcats, 
which foon abated on bathing the arm as before, 
;ind wrapping it up in brown paper foaked in 
the oil. 
T'iis cure being attributed to the oil alone, 
though it appears that cordials were adminiftered, 
fome ingenious foreigners v/ere induced to try the 
fame experiment, but not uniformly with fuccefs. 
Dr. Vaterat Drefden found oil a fpecific ; but 
Meflrs. GeofFroy and Hunauld, of the Royal 
Academy of Sciences at Paris, made a number 
of experiments, in which this oil proved ineffec- 
tual : and added to their own accounts fome 
others of people who were bit; in which all the 
dreadful coniequences of that poifon are fhewn, 
and the remedies fpecified by which they were 
removed. 
The firft inftance which thefe gentlemen pro- 
duce, is in tlK' cafe of Mr. Pifon, who was bit 
on the end of his fore-finger by nn enraged Viper. 
A drop of blood immediately iffued from the 
wound ; and the firft application made v/as that 
of covei ing the whole member with a quantity of 
Venice treacle: the finger, however, fvelled vio- 
lently, and was fcarified in fcveral places. The 
patient v/as ordered to eat the body of he Viper 
boiled, and to drink a giafs of v/ine after it, with 
fome Venice treacle, in which were infufed a few., 
drops of the volatile fplrh of Vipers; and the fin- 
ger was v/rapped round with comprefles and 
bandages wetted in aqua vits. Soon after this, 
the patient began to vomit; and, after a plenti- 
ful difcharge in that wav, the fwelling increaf- 
ed ; and his arm, which was now very much di- 
itended, v/as Icarifiai in twenty places; and com- 
preffcs of linen, dipped in aqua vits?, were laid 
on the v/ounds. Fie afterwards took volatile fait 
of Vipers in repeated dofes ; had more fcarifica- 
iions made in his arm; and drank, in the fpace 
of one afternoon and evening, a quart of ftrong 
xiine. After this, he flept very found; all the 
fymptoms difappcared ; and he was almoft re- 
covered by fix o'clock next morning, except 
that the fcarifications were two months in heal- 
ing. After that time, he enjoyed a confirmed 
Itate of health. 
A fecond inftance is recorded of a young lad, 
of a robuft conftitution, bit by a Viper enraged, 
and kept for fome time in a very hot fituation 
near the fire. He at fiift perceived a pain, like 
'that of the oil of vitriol dropped on the wound; 
when the finger on which he was bit was tied 
very tight with a binder : after this, fome fcari- 
fications v/ere made in it, and a quantity of the 
fat of the Viper was rubbed into them. Four 
Vipers were then killed, and all their fat was 
ufed. After wliich he took three drams of Ve- 
nice treacle in fome wine. 
The patient's whole arm fwelled; he perceived a 
violent hear diffuled over his body ; and his other 
Vol. IL 
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hand became fo turgid, that at length he could 
fcarcely fhut it. On this, he took a large dofe of 
Venice treacle, camphire, volatile fait of Vipers, 
of amber, of fal ammoniac, and fal volatde oleo- 
fum: this he repeated at fome diftance of time. 
He was bled in the oppofite arm ; he vomited 
violently ; and an incifion being made all along 
the finger, no blood ifli.ied thence. The hand, 
arm, and breaft, were embrocated with a mixture 
of fpirit of lavender, camphire, Venice treacle, 
and the fat of Vipers. After having vomited 
plentifully, and being rubbed with this warm 
'rrrixture, he found himfelf much eafier. At 
eight o'clock in the evening he took another dofc 
of his volatile medicines, and flept till four in the 
morning: he then took a large glafs of wine, 
flept till fix, and at feven eat part of a fowl with 
a good appetite. The furgeons would have 
made more fcarifications in the arm, but the pa- 
tient would not fufitrr them. Three days after- 
wards, an eryfipelas appeared, to which a mixture 
of aqua vitse and ointment of marfli-mal'ows was 
applied ; and, finally, he was perfetlly reftored to 
health. 
In thefe two inftances, the fymptoms appeared 
much in the fame manner as thofe of the Bath. 
Viper-catcher, who fuflrred himfelf to be bit thac 
he might be cured by his own antidote oil. The 
fleep came on in all the fame circum.ftances ; and 
they were all cured, as well he who ufed no 
unftions, as he who ufed the fat of the Vipers, or 
the Englifhman who depended on oil. The in- 
ternal medicines given to them all were of much 
the fame kind. All, therefore, that can be con- 
cluded from thefe cafes is, that either thefe bites 
would not have proved mortal in themfelves, or 
that the cordial medicines taken internally were 
the remedies which prevented the mifchiefs that 
would have enfued ; and thefe feem to have a6led, 
-not as fpecifics againft the bite of this creature, 
but merely as medicines that would ftop the pro- 
grefs of a gangrene ; the unprevented increafe of 
which is the circumftance that proves fatal from 
the bite of the Viper. 
The diflfedlion of fuch animals as have died by 
the bite of the Viper, whether rubbed with oil 
or not, afforded all the like appearances. The 
limb that had received the wound was wholly 
fwelled and livid; and thefe fymptoms were 
ufually carried along the thigh to the belly, and 
fometimes up to the breaft. Incifions made 
along thefe parts always difcovered the cellules of 
the membrana adipofa full of a bloody-coloured 
water; and the membrane itfelf was fwelled, 
blackifli, and gangrened : and this always appeared 
more plainly in the belly than in any other part; 
the membrana adipofa, in all other parts of the 
body, being in it's natural ftate. The injured 
parts often emitted a cadaverous fmell; the muf- 
cles of the wounded limb v/ere alfo of a brownifli 
colour ; and their fibres had loft their confiftence, 
and feemed ready to give way to the approach- 
ing gangrene. Nor is this effed confined to the 
external parts alone : a goofe that had been bit had 
three gangrenous fpots on it's heart, and all the 
indications of an incipient gangrene in other parts 
of it's body; the concave fide of the liver was alfo 
gangrened, and had wholly loft it's confiftence. 
The lungs alfo of a fowl, that had been bit on the 
wing, were found to be gangrened in part. 
Theeffefts, however, of the bites of difi'erent 
Vipers, were different in their degree? and feveral 
4 X ciTcumftances 
