THE POISON OF VENOMOUS SERPENTS. 
75 
should these not sufficiently counteract the poison, another pill must be given, an hour after. This is generally 
found sufficient. The wound should be dilated, and the warm liver of a fowl applied to the part. 
« For the bite of all kinds of vipers, viz. Viriyen Pamboo, Valancy, Sidamand-Eli, Rettamand-Eli, give two 
pills ; and if the poison is not counteracted within half an hour, give two pills more : but if the life of the 
patient should appear to be in great danger, four pills may be given : an incision should be made on the top 
of the head, and a pill pulverized should be first rubbed on the wound, then the liver of a fowl applied to 
the part. 
« For the bite of all other less poisonous snakes, one pill every morning for three days is sufficient. The pa¬ 
tient ought to keep a regimen for six days, eating only congee (rice water) and rice, or milk and rice. He 
should abstain from salt, and his drink may be warm water. Sleep is to be prevented lor the first twenty- 
four hours.” 
Mr. Duffin had obligingly supplied me with specimens of the several ingredients, the Malabar and Gentoo 
names being affixed to each ; and from the specimen of the wild cotton, I found it to be the Asclepias gigantea, 
a plant which grows every where on the coast of Coromandel. The roots and seeds are produced on the Mala¬ 
bar coast; and I expected specimens of the plants from Bombay before leaving India, but was disappointed. I he 
seeds looked like those of some species of croton. 
In the mean while, I determined to make a few experiments with the unknown ingredients separately. The 
result of which was, in short, as follows: 
Five grains of the velli-navi root, almost without exception, killed chickens in little more than an hour. T. hey 
sometimes were visibly affected in ten minutes, but generally not in less than half an hour. They first purged 
once or twice, then drooped, and couched on their belly. The throat was next affected with a constant tremu¬ 
lous motion, and the head at times drawn downwards convulsively. The tremor extending to the whole body, 
the legs soon became convulsed, and the bird expired, sometimes in forty minutes, and almost never later than 
in an hour and twenty minutes. One or two chickens that escaped, were much indisposed for several hours ; 
but none escaped where the throat became convulsed. 
The crop in all became much inflated ; but nothing remarkable was discovered upon dissection. 
To a stout dog, half a dram of the velli-navi, mixed with a bit of bread sopped in milk, was given in the 
morning before he had taken any food, 
The dog, in twenty minutes, became sick, stood with his mouth open, lolling his tongue out, and panting; 
but drank of milk and water when offered to him. The sickness increasing, he refused drinking more, and 
howled as if in much distress. He lay down, and his flanks laboured much. In about an hour he vomited, and 
became still more unquiet. In this state he continued three hours, having vomited twice more, at intervals. He 
had no stool till after noon. In the evening he was very well. 
The neri-visham in a dose of five grains produced no other effect on chickens than purging gently once or 
twice. The dose increased to ten grains, had a little more effect in the same way. An infusion of two drams of 
the root in water was given to two chickens ; to one, one fourth part; to the other, the remainder. The first 
seemed no more affected than with the powder; the other appeared sick, drooped for an hour or two, purged 
moderately, and then became lively as before. 
The nervalam, in doses of five grains, had no visible effect whatever on the chickens. In doses ol twenty 
grains, they purged briskly several times. 
It should be remarked, that both roots and seeds seemed to have been long kept, and the former had in some 
parts been touched by worms. 
From the foregoing experiments, none of the unknown ingredients appear to be deleterious, the velli-navi 
excepted. 
