SNAKE BITE AND ITS ANTIDOTE. 
325 
Dr. de Lacerda himself, although he attributes the highest value 
to it as a chemical antidote, both as a powerful oxidizing agent 
and by the action of the potash, says, as to the idea of finding a 
physiological antidote for snake poisoning: “I entirely agree 
with you that it is a Utopia; although I found that liquor jootassce 
practically answered the same purpose as permanganate of pot- 
ash, it did not decompose the venom, but merely destroyed the 
tissues in which the venom was lying, thereby preventing its 
absorption; and it was subsequently discharged with the slough. 
This was proved by the fact that when the venom and liquor 
potassce were mixed and injected subcutaneously, no constitu¬ 
tional effect followed; but if the same mixture was diluted with 
water and injected into a vein or into the peritoneal cavity of an 
animal, symptoms of cobra poisoning were soon manifest, and 
the animal died.” 
As opposed to the opinion of the persons quoted, we have on 
the affirmative side of the question only de Lacerda’s statements 
and cases, and one or two others. The first is mentioned by Dr. 
de Fourier in the Journal de Hygiene for Sept. 22, 1882, in 
which a case is mentioned of an individual having been bitten by 
a very large serpent supposed to be poisonous, to whom a solu¬ 
tion of the permanganate was given internally and hypodermic 
injections were also employed; the patient recovered. Another 
case is related by Dr. E. Bories, in the Polyclinic , P'fiiladelphia, 
1883, I., 57, in which the patient was bitten by a rattlesnake. 
Four hours after the bite one-half grain of permanganate of pot¬ 
ash was injected subcutaneously and two grains were given in¬ 
ternally every hour. Ammonia was applied to the wound and 
the patient recovered. 
Before leaving the subject of the permanganate, it may be 
well to state de Lacerda’s hypothesis of the action of this salt as 
he himself communicates it in a letter to Dr. Fayrer: “ Passing 
now to the essential part of the discussion that took place in the 
Medical Society, I will give in a few words how I comprehend 
and how I judge that the efficacious effect of permanganate of 
potash should be comprehended. You yourself, by experiments 
made in 1869, recognized that permanganate of potash mixed 
with the venom took from it its noxious properties. Certain 
