324 
H. C. YARROW. 
Y. “ That permanganate of potassa possesses no prophy¬ 
lactic properties, since death followed the hypodermic injection 
of 3J- centigrammes of cobra poison in watery solution in the case 
of a dog which had been hypodermically injected a few hours 
previously with 8 decigrammes of the agent in solution.” 
VI. “ That it would appear to be absolutely necessary that 
the permanganate to be efficacious should come into actual con¬ 
tact with the cobra poison.” 
VII. “ That although no symptoms of cobra poisoning fol¬ 
lowed the injection of cobra poison and permanganate of potash, 
sloughing of the part injected sometimes followed.” Sloughing 
we found to be extremely rare in our cases, as will be seen from 
the notes, in fact a 5 per cent, solution of the permanganate in¬ 
jected several times into the leg of a rabbit had no appreciable 
effect. 
VIII. “ That up to the present time it has never been experi¬ 
mentally shown that any agent has either the power to neutralize 
the cobra poison lying in the tissues, nor to prevent death when 
four minutes had elapsed from the time of injection of the poison 
to that of treatment.” 
IX. “ That if permanganate of potash has such power to 
destroy so subtle a poison as that of the cobra, it is probable that 
the hypodermic injection of the agent in the bite of a rabid 
animal would destroy the virus which causes that terrible dis¬ 
ease, hydrophobia.” 
The writer would remark that as early as 1870 he treated 
three cases of persons bitten by rabid animals with applications 
of a solution of permanganate of potassa after incision of the 
bites had been performed; none of the patients had rabies 
canina. 
Sir Joseph Fayrer states in his address to the Medical Society 
of London, speaking of Richards' views, as follows : “ I agree 
with Richards that so far as it goes it is a good local application 
and as such ought to be used; or, in its absence, tannic acid or 
liquor potasses might be resorted to with the same object; but as 
a constitutional remedy, as a physiological antidote, it is power¬ 
less, like/all others that have been tried and failed to do good.” 
