Occasional Notes. 389 
The reason of this difference is probably the undeveloped 
state of the central nervous system. 
The best therapeutic means for combating snake-bite 
are undoubtedly restoratives, especially preparations of 
ammonia, as they raise the blood pressure, but they are 
only of service in slight cases. In severe cases, these 
remedies increase the haemorrhage of the lungs and 
other organs. The American plan of giving large doses 
of alcohol is erroneous in principle, because, while it 
is true that in small doses alcohol stimulates the 
vaso-motor nerves, in large doses it paralyses them. 
LACERDA'S treatment by permanganate injections into 
the venous circulation, has proved useless in all cases 
where a really lethal dose of the poison has been given, 
and appears to rest on an erroneous assumption. Special 
experiments regarding hypodermic injections of per- 
manganate in the locality of the bite are still required, 
but its usefulness is very doubtful, for whenever a lethal 
dose is inserted, it is so rapidly absorbed, that the per- 
manganate injection is almost sure to be too late to do 
any good. At present a physiological antidote cannot 
even be conceived to exist, as we have no means of 
opposing the paralysis of the spinal cord, the intra-cardiac 
terminal branches of the vagus, the cardiac ganglia, the 
splanchnics, the respiratory centre, etc. The treatment 
must, therefore, be conducted on other lines, and Dr. 
FEOKTISTOW is about to commence a series of researches 
in a new direction altogether, the nature of which he 
does not indicate. It must be remarked that death 
frequently follows snake-bites after a prolonged period, 
and is due not to any direct toxic action, but to the 
morbid changes, which have been set up in vital organs. 
3 C2 
