58 
EXPERIMENTS ON THE POISONS 
Observations.- The snake seemed sluggish this morning, and bit rather reluctantly, so that it was 
doubtful whether the fangs had penetrated the skin : that the venom was sufficiently potent appeared from 
the next experiment. 
Experiment VII.-The snake, with some difficulty, being provoked to bite a chicken, the bird expired in 
convulsions, in little more than a minute. 
Experiment VIII. October 20, 1787.-The inside of the thigh of a stout dog being held close to the mouth 
of the snake, it snapped, and kept fast hold for twenty seconds. The dog hardly complained when bitten; and no 
symptoms following, it was concluded the fangs had not acted. Waiting therefore an hour, the dog was bitten 
a second time, when one, at least, of the fangs visibly entered the skin ; yet without any consequence. 
Experiment IX.-After making the snake shed some poison on a stick, for the purpose of insertion, he bit 
a chicken in the thigh. The bird was instantly affected, and died with the usual symptoms, in one minute and 
a quarter. 
Experiment X. November 10.-A pretty stout dog, bitten on the thigh, complained much from the pain, 
and soon lay down. After five minutes, signs of poison were apparent. At intervals he howled lamentably, and 
within the half hour, was strongly convulsed. He survived, however, nearly an hour and a half longer, most part 
of the time in a torpid state, without any return of strong convulsions ; but, for half an hour before his death, a 
remarkable tremulous motion was observed in the muscles of the wounded thigh. 
Experiment XI.-Immediately after the former, another dog, of a much slighter make, was bitten in like 
manner. The usual symptoms of poison appeared, though in a low degree. The wounded leg was contracted, 
and the dog lay, at times, torpid and panting, but he neither howled, nor was convulsed. 
After a few hours, he was so well recovered, as to cat heartily, and to tread firmly. 
Experiment XII. November 11.-The same dog was again bitten in the sound thigh. He remained for 
several hours in a half comatous state, and then recovered. He appeared more slightly affected than the day 
before, and the thigh had never been paralytic. 
Experiment XIII. March 13, 1788.-A Rekula Poda, which had remained (without food) a captive for 
twelve days, bit a stout dog. In applying the snake, one of the fangs accidentally touched the scrotum, so as 
to fetch blood ; the other slightly wounded the thigh. During the first hour, the dog discovered no symptoms 
of poison. In the second hour, the parts, especially the scrotum, were much swelled, but the leg was not, as 
usual, drawn up. In the course of the third hour, the dog became comatous ; was unable to get on his legs: and 
the limb became paralytic. From this time, his disorder increased ; he did not howl, but lay as if insensible, 
and his breathing was laborious. At the end of eight hours, he was found hardly breathing ; yet he lingered 
two hours more, and died without convulsions. 
The parts bitten were monstrously swelled. 
Experiment XIV. March 26. -A dog, A. which had been bitten three days before, and in consequence 
of caustics applied to the part, had a running ulcer on the thigh, was bitten on the sound thigh by a Katuka 
Rekula of a dark brown colour, which had been caught only a few hours before, and was casting his skin. He 
had shed poison on the stick employed in catching him ; so that none, for the purpose of insertion, could be pro¬ 
cured by pressure on the ducts. 
The bite was followed by no symptoms of poison ; but as the dog had formerly been infected and recovered, 
he was, after an interval of two hours, bitten a second time, by another Katuka Rekula, in order to see how far 
his former recovery might render him unsusceptible. The usual symptoms appeared immediately after the bite; 
but the dog, after dozing for several hours, recovered. 
Experiment XV.-A pig was bitten on the thigh by the dark coloured Katuka. The fangs remained in 
the skin half a minute, the pig squeaking Ioudty. As soon as he was let loose, he made so quick a retreat that it 
could not be determined, from the movement of the leg, whether he was infected. The only suspicious symp¬ 
tom was his slumbering for several hours. 
Experiment XVI. March 29,-A second dog, B. (which had before been infected and recovered, and still 
