44 
THE THANATO PH IDIA OF INDIA. 
Toopoli Earn, aged thirty-five, a Cachar labourer, was bitten 
on June 18th, at 4 p.m., in a jungle near the village Kaclio- 
patiah, by a green snake. The bite was in the right ankle, and 
there were two wounds over that joint. When observed the 
part was of a black colour, it is said, but no other details are 
given. He appears to have been ill for one day after the bite, 
but no details are given, as the case did not come under the 
observation of the medical officer. The snake was probably 
Trimeresurus, either T. carivatus, T. gr amine us, or T. erythrurus, 
as the man seems to have suffered, though not fatally. 
Bhanoo, an Assamese, aged eighteen years, was bitten on the 
afternoon of April 25th, 1870, while going to work in a field, 
by a snake called the “ Cliokoriah Borah.” He is said to have 
become insensible, and to have vomited matter of a black colour. 
He was treated by the native Ozalis (snake-charmers), but died 
twenty-six hours after the bite. The body was not sent in for 
examination. 
The following case is recorded by Mr. O’Connor, Civil Surgeon 
of Nowgong, Assam :— 
Namal, a Cacharee cultivator, aged sixteen years, was bitten 
at 9 p.m., January 20th, 1870, by a snake which was not killed, 
but is described thus :—“ A short thick snake, three feet long, 
three inches in circumference, colour dark brown, with two 
white stripes, one on each side. Head variegated, from green 
through blue to yellow.” Making allowance for the inaccuracy 
of native description, this may have been the Daboia russettii. 
The friends say that, “ he got suddenly more and more sleepy, 
and at last died.” He was treated—it is not said how-—by a 
Kobiraj, but his death is said not to have occurred until Jan. 
22nd. No post-mortem examination of the body was allowed 
by the friends ; but from the general appearance of the body, 
Mr. O’Connor thinks “ there was much venous congestion of the 
internal organs, and that the blood had turned very dark and 
thick. The face was swollen slightly, also the body, and the 
right leg particularly so; above the ankle were four cicatrices 
of a black colour. There was also an oozing of dark-coloured 
bloody matter from the mouth. The father and brothers 
brought in the boy’s body, and gave the description of the 
case.” 
The following case is recorded by the civil surgeon of Glow- 
liatty, in Assam :— 
Khan Poonee, a Cacharee labourer, female, seven years of age, 
was bitten at a village named Ballaharie, near Bungea, at 5 p.m., 
on March 12th, 1870. The description of the snake by the 
friends shows that it was a Cobra (Grokurrah). The girl cried 
and seemed to suffer much pain. The bitten part on the left 
ankle bled slightly. The part became dark, and the discolora¬ 
tion spread up the limb. No further details are given. She 
died at 8.30 a.m., March 13tli, in about fifteen and a half 
hours. The body was too much decomposed for examination 
when brought to the civil surgeon. There was the mark of 
a wound, similar to that which might be produced by a snake, 
on the left ankle, and inflammation had evidently spread from 
that point. 
The following very interesting account of a fatal case of 
snake-poisoning has been forwarded to me by Dr. Thomson, 
Staff Surgeon, H.M.S., from Thayetmeyo, in Burmah. From 
the description, the snake was evidently Daboia russellii, or Bus¬ 
sell’s Viper, the “ Ticpolonga” of Ceylon. The subject was a 
gunner of the Eoyal Artillery. By kind permission of Dr. 
Croker, E.A., at present in medical charge of A-23, E.A., I am 
enabled to furnish the particulars, extracted from the Case 
Book. The Case was recorded by Dr. Murray, Staff Assistant 
Surgeon, who was in medical charge of the Battery at the time 
the accident occurred. 
E. W., age twenty-three years. Service, nine years. A 
strong powerfully built man, of good muscular development, 
was admitted into hospital this morning (May 22nd, 1868). 
States that soon after daybreak, as he was entering the “ fowl- 
house,” which is in close proximity to the barracks, he observed 
a dark thick-set snake of about two feet and a half in length 
(species unknown, but not a Cobra), and that he took up a 
piece of bamboo and began teasing it, whereupon the reptile 
turned and bit him on the finger. The snake held on for a 
short time, and it was with some little difficulty the man shook 
it off. The “ fowl-house,” where the accident occurred, is 
distant from the hospital about 600 or 700 yards. The man 
came at once to hospital, being advised by one of his comrades 
to do so ; when on the way he became very weak. The apothecary 
saw the patient on his arrival at hospital. It is supposed that 
a lapse of twenty minutes must have occurred from the time he 
received the bite until he reached the hospital, and nothing had 
been done meantime in the way of remedies. The apothecary 
immediately scarified the wounded finger freely, made the patient 
suck the wound, and administered ammonia. I was then sent 
for, and proceeded without delay. On examination I found 
two small punctured wounds on first phalanx of index finger of 
the left hand. The finger itself was swollen and livid. The 
patient complained of very little pain, but seemed naturally 
anxious, although it was considered by many that the snake 
was non-venomous. I ordered hot fomentations, with a 
view to encourage as much as possible the bleeding from 
the part where it had been freely scarified. I also ordered 
constant fomentations all over the arm. An aperient 
was given. It was directed that the patient be carefully 
watched. 
Vespere, 6 p.m. —The bowels were moved during the day, 
but the patient has been restless, turning on one side then on 
another. The finger and hand are considerably swollen and 
discoloured, and the forearm is partially so. The pain is not 
severe, although he complains of it extending up the arm; no 
swelling from elbow upwards. Is slightly feverish. Pulse 
good and not hurried, complains of thirst; ordered lemonade 
to drink. To have an opiate at bedtime. The hand and arm 
to be constantly stuped with poppy-heads, and the patient to 
be carefully watched during the night. 
May 23 rd. —On my visit this morning I found the man 
most dangerously ill. At times excited, tossing about his arms 
and legs in every direction, and rolling his head from one side 
to another. The pulse almost imperceptible. Breathing hurried, 
forty per minute. Surface covered with cold clammy sweat. 
Conscious when roused, and then immediately falling back into 
a stupor. Pace suffused. Ordered brandy and water, stimula¬ 
ting draughts of ammonia, and turpentine stupes to extremities. 
The left hand and arm greatly swollen. Bluish tint over the 
hand. Surface from elbow to shoulder much reddened. The 
inflammation extended to the left side of chest, which was also 
red and swollen. He rallied a little for upwards of an hour 
between 7 and 8 a.m., and then began to sink. Pupils became 
contracted, and insensible to the stimulus of light. From 8 
a.m he became rapidly unconscious. Now and again he tossed 
himself about with such violence that the attendants had some 
difficulty in keeping him in bed. The treatment mentioned 
above was persevered in, and in addition, galvanism was applied 
along the spine and over the chest. At 8.30 a.m. he was 
