400 THE TROPICAL 
To the Edit 07'. 
SNAKE-BITE AND CUKE FOR HUMAN 
BEINGS AND CATTLE. 
SlR^ — Tlie terribly sad case of snake-bite result- 
in? in the death o{ Mr. White of the Northern 
Railway Extension, reminds us that we should 
make known as widely as possible such treatment 
as has been attended with success in cases of 
bites, from venomous reptile?. In Ceylon we do 
not hear much of death from snake-bite among 
the natives (and it would be interesting to discover 
why this is,) but the return of such deaths in 
India, for 1899, gave 22,480 for iiuman beings and 
3,793 for cattle. Dr. Watt gives the following 
under the head of treatment: — 
" Immediately on infliction of the bite, a ligature 
should be applied very tightly about the limb at a 
short distance above the wound and several other 
liaatures at suitable distances further up. The flesh 
around the marks should be excised freely, the sur- 
face of the wound should be scarified, washed and 
squeezed, and bleeding shonld be enconrage-1. The 
amount to be excised around tht; fang-marks must 
depend upon the looseness of denseuess o£ the sur- 
rounding tissues, and their consequent tendency to 
allow the poison to diffuse freely or not. The actual 
cautery m*y be applied to the deeper portions of 
the wound, where 'the poison may not have been 
removed by the excision. Stimulants, such as alcohol 
or liquor ammonia in 15-drop doses in an ounce 
of water, may be given, bat over-stimulation should 
be avoided, and during the administration of 
stimulants, liquid nourishment should also be exhibited 
(prohibited ?). If depression be marked, mustard 
plasters may be applied over the heart, on the pit 
of the stom'ach, or on the nape of the neck. The 
patient should be allowed to rest in a well- ventilated 
room, protected from the sun ; in cases where the 
prostration is extreme, methods of artificial respiration 
and galvanism may have to be employed. Amputa- 
tion should at once be had recourse to in cases when 
the snake is known to have been one of a markedly 
poisonous character, and the bite is in one of the 
fingers or toes. In wounfls of the larger members 
or of the trunk where free excision is possible, 
amputation may not be necessary. 'J he intravenous 
injection of ammonia or of liquor potasses do not 
apparently do much good, but they may be injected 
freely into the poisoned part. The local application 
of permanganate of potash is strongly recommended 
by some authorities. Various methods of treatment, 
ail more or less founded on superstition, are employ- 
ed by the natives of India, and every now and then 
alleged specifies for the poison of snake-bite have 
been vaunted, but as yet no antidote is known which 
is capable of neutralising tho action of the poison. 
The so-called "snake stones" oa,n have no other 
efiect than at best to act as local absorbf^nts. They are 
for the most part merely pieces of charred bones which 
by absorbing from the wound the poison charged 
blood may be of uise in slight cases of snake bite." 
There are, of cour.se, numerous drugs used 
among the natives of Ceylon and reported to cure 
snake-bite, but we are not concerned with these at 
present, as what we would like to suggest is the 
use of some common and liandy substance, such as 
chloride of lin)e or iodine, or other treatment that 
can be adopted without loss of time, for it is most 
important that whatever has to be done must be 
done quickly. 
Sometime ago we read interesting accounts ot 
Dr. Calmette's work in Paris in conm ction with the 
preparation of a therapeutic serum against snake- 
AGRICULTUPJST, [Dec. 1, 1900. 
bite, and this preparation is, no doubt, noiv 
procurable for iuucculation purposes. But Dr. 
Calmette himself recommends that in the absence 
ot the seruni, chloride of lime is the next best re- 
medy. The Doctor's recommendation is based on 
a study of the blood of bitten animals. It was 
founii that in such blo(;d the corpu'-cles lost their 
shape arid agglomerated ; the blood was thus un- 
able to do its work ; in oilier words the fatal results 
were due to paraij'sis of the lungs caused by 
stoppage of circulation by the coagulated condition 
of the blood. This discovery led to some very in- 
teresting experiments with the result that llie 
chemical treatment referred to was found to be 
efficacious. The chloride of lime !-honld be tree 
from absorbed water, and for use should he taken 
from an hermetically sealed bottle. One part by 
weight should be dissolved in two parts ol boiling 
water, but the solution should never be niade until 
it is about to be use '. This should be injected 
subeutaneously with a syiinge all aroun<i tlie 
wound and also under the skin of the abdonien, 
that it may enter into the circulation as quickly 
as possible. Dr. Calmette estimates that froin2u 
to 30 centimetres of the solution will suHice to .'-a\ e 
the life of a man bitten, it being administered in 
doses of five-cubic centime each time. Of cour.se 
time is an important element in the matter. 
In conclusion we would quote a jiassage vvitii 
reference to Dr. F. E. Brown's cure for the bite of 
rattle-snakes, which he says he used successfully 
in his practice in the. United States: "I have 
treated thirteen cases of snake-bite in my practice 
with simply marvellous results — even restoring 
lite and health when the patient was supposed 
to be dying. My hrst cure occurre 1 many years 
ago. A little child, say three or four years oliJ, 
was brought home with two ugly gashes on the 
instep by a fair-sized rattler. I suppose I saw the 
child about an hour after the bite, with limbs 
badly swollen and in great pain. 1 applied iodine 
to the wound and gave the child drop doses 
every ten minutes for an hour, then every half 
hour until decided improvement. The child took 
10 to 15 drops in all. Next morning the father 
reported that the child had jjerfecrly recovered 
and was playing about as usual. My last cure 
was about one year ago. A lad about 15 years 
old, while reaching under some boards for hen's 
eggs was bitten on his light hand by a large 
rattler. He was brought to nie with hand and arm 
enormously swollen, 'and scarcely able to stand on 
his feet. I pursued precisely the same treatment 
as in my tirst case, except that I doubled the dose. 
He took in all perhaps 25 dro; s. He recovererl 
rapidly, with no outward result.s. It is equally 
efficacious in the treatment of dumb beasts." 
Dr, Brown here goes on to refer to the cure of a 
cow which was in a bad way after the snake-bite, 
which, on his advice, was dosed with 10 drops 
eveiy 10 minutes for an hour, then every honr for 
a time. The result was entirely satisfactory even 
in this case. It v.ould beintere-ting to know if 
any of the above remedies have been tried locally, 
and if so with what success, 
INTERESTED, 
CACAO IN CEYLON : AND MK. 
CARRUTHERS. 
Dear Sir, — As Mr. Carruthers' remarks on 
cacao canker at the N D P A meeting- on the 
the 20th ult. have caused considerable dis- 
cussion in the press, I send you a copy of a 
