358 
H. C. YARROW. 
different organs of its body (physiology); like the machinist, he 
must not only make himself acquainted with the wheels and 
pistons and cranks of his machine, he must know its every fibre; 
and even as machines are easily deranged so sheep are u kittle 
cattle ; no more delicate animal breathes. 
In addition to the above, the farmer must have a knowledge 
of the chemistry as well as of the practice of agriculture and if 
disease makes its appearance amongst his flocks he should at once 
seek the aid of some one better versed in these matters than 
himself. 
SNAKE BITE AND ITS ANTIDOTE—IV. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH CROTALUS VENOM AND REPUTED ANTI¬ 
DOTES, WITH NOTES ON THE SALIVA OF HELODERMA 
(“GILA MONSTER.”) 
By H. C. Yarrow, M.D., Curator Dept. Reptiles, U. S. National Museum. 
(From Forest ana Stream.) 
( Continued from page 327.) 
Were it not for the fact that many persons still believe in the 
antidotal efficacy of ammonia in snake bite poisoning it would not 
have been thought worth while to experiment with this agent any 
further, and a number of observers from the time of Fontana to 
the present day have proved not only its absolute uselessness, but 
have also shown that under certain conditions of administration 
it is dangerous to life. Weir Mitchell says that in one case he 
thinks he actually destroyed a dog with the means which was 
meant to save him, and our experiments, it is thought, will show 
a similar condition of affairs. To JDr. Halford has been attribu¬ 
ted the method of cure of venom poisoning by ammonia, but this 
is an error, as has already been shown in this paper, and if further 
proof is wanting it may be found in the Medical Times and 
Gazette , London, 1873, ii., p. 216, which gives the translation of 
a letter written by Felix Fontana to Mr. Gibelin, dated Florence, 
July 1, 1872, in which he states he experimented upon lambs and 
rabbits, using from twenty to forty drops of ammonia injected 
into jugular vein ; none recovered. He also states that twelve 
