American Poifon called Ticunas. xxiii 
nally or internally. When the poifon is introduced deeply, and 
has already infinuated itfelf into the humours, every remedy 
comes too late and is ufelefs. 
There yet remained to be made a further very nice inquiry, 
and which might in feme cafes too have turned out a very ufeful 
one. My experiments on the poifon of the viper led me to 
make an obfervation of the fame fort on the American poifon. i 
had determined from them the time which the poifon of the vi- 
per employs in diffufing itfelf into the body of the animals ; and 
when it might be ufeful to cut away the poifoned part, or to 
make a ligature about it, to hinder the poifon from communi- 
cating itfelf to the animal by the blood. 
1 introduced into the mufcle of a pigeon’s leg an American 
arrow fteeped in warm water, and left.it there ; and four mi- 
nutes after I made a ligature moderately tight, immediately, 
above the wound. In twenty-fix hours the animal feemed to 
fuffer no inconvenience but from the ligature. I then withdrew 
the arrow, and loofed the ligature. The. part was a little level- 
led and livid ; but the animal did not die of it, though it could 
make no ufe of its leg for many days, and. afterwards ufed it 
with fome difficulty. 
I pierced the, mufcles of another pigeon with a freffi arrow, as 
above, and applied the ligature fix minutes afterwards, leaving 
the arrow in the wound. In four minutes the pigeon had not. 
ftrength to hold up its head, or fcarcely to ftand ; prefently after 
it fell down to all appearance dead, and was quite dead in fix. 
minutes more. 
I repeated the experiment on another pigeon, leaving the ar- 
row in the mufcles again, and eight minutes after I tied the ban- 
dage about the leg. Three minutes after it was vifibly fick, 
but recovered again a little afterwards. It was ftill living twenty- 
fix hours after, although the mufcles were livid. I then loofed 
the bandage, and it died in two hours. 
I fubjefted a fourth pigeon to the fame experiments, leaving 
the arrow in the mufcles, and applying the bandage five mi- 
nutes after : it died in two hours. . 
I per?- 
