50 
ON THE PHYSIOGNOMY OP SERPENTS. 
the surest means of arresting their effects. Laurentius 
acquired celebrity by experiments of this sort; all the 
world has heard of the six thousand experiments made by 
Fontana. The observations of Eussel have been intro- 
duced into all works of herpetology ; Dr Davy has recently 
added many new facts, the results of experiments made in 
the island of Ceylon ; M. Lenz has made a great number 
with the common viper ; and a crowd of other naturalists, 
of physicians, and of chemists, have reported detached 
facts, serving to elucidate this obscure branch of human 
knowledge. But notwithstanding the vast number of ob- 
servations, the results which may be deduced from them 
are little satisfactory. All tend to demonstrate what we 
have stated above, viz. that the symptoms following the 
bites of venomous serpents are infinitely modified by pre- 
valent circumstances. To obtain certain results, it would 
be requisite to make a vast number of experiments with 
snakes of the same size, in the same places, at the same 
temperature, and to cause them to bite animals of the 
same race, and even of the same constitution ; repeating 
afterwards similar experiments with other species of 
serpents, we might probably discover, on taking as the 
result the mean term of the observations, if the nature of 
the poison differs in the different species of snakes. With- 
out calling in question this hypothesis, propounded by 
several authors, I have reason to believe, that the bite of 
venomous serpents, properly so called, is more dangerous 
than that of the colubriform venomous serpents, and of 
sea-snakes, because of the power of the weapons with 
which the first are provided. 
The poison of Ophidians affects much less the white-blood- 
ed animals than the Vertebrata. In most of the latter, the 
effects of the bite manifest themselves immediately after 
they are bitten. Man speedily perceives an acute pain in 
the limb wounded by the fangs, which only make two 
minute punctures hardly visible, from which a few drops 
of blood flow : the wounded part afterwards swells, and 
inflammation declares itself with more or less rapidity ; 
the absorption of the poison is announced by general de- 
bility, walking becomes painful, the respiration impeded 
