SNAKE BITE AND ITS ANTIDOTE. 
359 
experiments may not be sufficient to show the absolute inability 
of ammonia as an antidote, but they show it is not a specific. In 
his work on poisons, p. 3, he says in reference to its use externally 
or internally, “It is then a fact proved that ammonia is entirely 
useless whether applied simply to the bitten part or whether taken 
internally, and there is even reason to suspect that it was hurtful.” 
Inasmuch as Dr. Halford revived an interest in the ammonia 
plan of treatment, it seems only fair to give a resume of his plan 
of treatment, which will be found in his pamphlet entitled, “ New 
Treatment of Snake Bite,” by G. B. Halford, Melbourne, 1869, 
p. 16, in which he recommends the bite to be cut out, and when 
symptoms of drowsiness or sickness come, inject ammonia ten 
drops to twenty of water into vein (adult dose) with hypodermic 
syringe pointed toward heart (does not mention care to be taken 
to avoid air entering vein). Gives a number of examples. Speaks 
of injecting ammonia into right and left ventricles of heart, car¬ 
otids and jugulars, the dog being under chloroform. Half dram 
liquor ammonia B. P. sp. grav. 0.959 every fifteen minutes or so 
for several hours. Dogs not injured but were finally killed, as 
chest had been opened. 
He again discusses the subject in the Medical Times and Ga¬ 
zette, London, ii., p.p., 90, 170,224, 323,461,575, 712, and gives 
a number of apparently well authenticated cases. 
Average length of time it takes to kill dogs with cobra bite 
according to Halford is 3h. 23m HaplocejpJialus curtus 2h, 15m., 
fowls by cobra 18m. Some die in much shorter time. 
Fayrer found that the injection of ammonia into the veins of 
healthy dogs was followed by grave consequences, such as convul¬ 
sions and marked muscular prostration, and no immunity was 
produced when the animals were bitten by cobras. He thought 
the ammonia treatment hastened death, and Healey, (G. D.) and 
Kees (W. C.) report a case of snake bite in the Australian Medi¬ 
cal Journal , 1874, XIX., p. 49, in which ammonia was injected 
into the veins and brandy given internally, which resulted in 
death. 
In our own experiments, believing that the venom, or at least 
a part of it, remained in the vicinity of the wound and was grad- 
