1881.J The Ptomaines and the Snake Poisons. 737 
nearest approach, chemically and physiologically, to animals, 
— i.e ., in cryptogamous plants. He finds that muscarine — 
the poisonous principle of certain Fungi — closely resembles 
the ptomaines both in its chemical behaviour and in its 
physiological adtion. It rapidly reduces the ferricyanide, 
and it kills with the heart in systole. 
We next encounter another phase of the subject. The 
poison of serpents has been for thousands of years a mys- 
tery, both as regards its nature and its possible treatment. 
At last, thanks to the researches of Dr. Gautier, we are 
beginning to see light. He has obtained a small quantity of 
the venom of the lance-headed snake of Martinique ( Trigo - 
nocephalus) and of the cobra ( Naja tripudians). In each of 
these he has found an alkaloid, yielding crystalline hydro- 
chlorates, chloroplatinates, and chloraurates, giving precipi- 
tates with the usual reagents for the vegetable alkaloids, 
rapidly reducing potassium ferricyanide, and, in short, pos- 
sessing all the properties of the ptomaines. In the venom 
of the cobra there was also another compound of non-basic 
character, but exceedingly poisonous. We naturally ask 
whether this second substance is identical with that isolated 
by Dr. Winter Blyth, and named by him cobric acid ? Dr. 
Blyth and Dr. Gautier certainly agree that the poison of the 
cobra is not a “ figured ferment ” or a virus, but a true che- 
mical compound. As evidence for this view it appears that 
the venom may be boiled in aqueous solution, filtered, eva- 
porated in the water-bath after acidulation, and filtered 
again without losing its activity, Further, the venom — 
which had been dry — was moistened with water, and heated 
for several hours to 120° to 125 0 C. (248° to 257 0 F.), yet its 
deadly power was scarcely affedted. Moreover, its effedts 
were diminished by a redudtion of the dose and by dilution, 
just as would be the case with arsenic or prussic acid, and 
as is not the case with the ferments. 
On the other hand, Dr. de Lacerda, who has been carrying 
out a long series of experiments with the Brazilian serpent 
Bothrops jacaranda, comes to very different conclusions. He 
states the poison lost its efficacy if heated to 90° C. (194 0 F.) 
or cooled down to the freezing-point. He also observed, 
under the microscope, minute briskly moving bodies, which 
were paralysed by an admixture of alcohol, chloroform, or 
boracic acid. Here is a perplexing discrepancy. We can 
well understand the presence in serpents belonging to dif- 
ferent groups, of different poisons or of different ferments. 
But it is little likely that there should occur in one a true 
poison, and in the other a morbific ferment. Among the 
