CASES OF SNAKE-BITE. 
53 
remedies’ gain a reputation entirely undeserved. I may state 
that I have noticed throughout my experiments that much 
bleeding is a favourable circumstance, probably owing to the 
consequent dilution and expulsion of some of the poison. 
“ On June 7th, at about noon, I was informed by one of my 
servants that there was a large Cobra curled up on the kutcha 
wall inside his house. I went, accompanied by my snake-man, 
to the servant s house, and saw lodged on the wall, between it 
and the thatching, a Cobra. All that was visible was about 
three inches of its centre looped over a piece of wood. The 
snake-man gently probed it with a small twig, when it began 
to glide slowly over the piece of wood. I cautioned him on no 
account to touch it until we were certain in which direction the 
head was, but he disregarded my advice, and making sure that 
the snake was progressing head foremost, seized it and dragged 
it partly out. He was mistaken, the brute was moving back¬ 
wards in order to extricate his head, and the poor fellow had 
caught it about four inches from the head. It instantly bit 
him, hut he dragged his hand away quickly, leaving the snake 
hanging halfway over the wall, hissing and striking in a most 
furious manner. I immediately seized the man’s hand, which 
was bleeding considerably, and wiped away with my fingers a 
quantity of the amber-coloured poison that was lying on his 
hand. I ran at once to the house, and the first caustic I came 
across was nitric acid, with which, in less than a minute, I 
returned. The snake-man had again seized hold of the snake, 
this time by the tail, and was repeating his muntros; but he 
exhibited no signs of fear. After excising a large piece of 
flesh, I applied the strong nitric acid with the stopper of the 
bottle, and although the agony must have been intense, he 
neither winced nor did he loose his hold of the snake. I then 
applied a ligature as tightly as possible around the forearm. 
The snake-man now dragged the brute forcibly out of its 
hiding-place. It proved to be a large Gokurrah Kurrees (Spec¬ 
tacled Cobra), and its belly was greatly distended in three dif¬ 
ferent places by some food that it had recently taken. It was 
secured in a basket. Ten ounces of brandy were given to the 
man, and his hand was kept constantly in hot water. The 
hand became intensely swollen and painful, and was still so 
when I visited him on the morning of the 9th. There were, 
however, no constitutional symptoms of poisoning. On lifting 
up the basket containing the snake, I felt and heard something 
rolling about inside, and on removing the lid, found three of 
my guinea fowl’s eggs which the brute had disgorged. These 
eggs, which are in my possession, exhibit various stages of 
digestion. On searching the jungle near the servant’s house 
four more guinea fowl’s eggs were found. This snake killed a 
fowl in four and a half minutes.” 
The following cases are recorded by Mr. Connolly, Civil 
Medical Officer of Bograli, Bengal:— 
Kunjun Bewail, a Mahomedan female, aged thirty years, was 
bitten while asleep on the night of June 14th, 1870, by a snake 
(not seen). She died three hours after being bitten. No further 
details are given. The body was examined. The lungs were 
congested. The heart contained dark frothy blood. The ab¬ 
dominal viscera were congested. The blood is said to have 
resembled liquid tar in appearance and consistency. The brain 
was congested and decomposed. Cadaveric rigidity not present. 
Karrohiar Kokar, a Mahomedan, aged twenty-seven years, 
was bitten by a snake (unknown) on the night of April ISth, 
1870. He died on April 20th, at 5 a.m., thirty-four hours 
after he had been bitten. The body was examined thirty-three 
hours after death. The lungs were congested, softened, and in 
a state of decomposition. The parietes of the heart and great 
vessels were congested, and the heart contained a small quantity 
of coagulated blood. The blood was "partially coagulated and 
of a dark colour. The brain was congested. There was no 
cadaveric rigidity present when the examination was made. 
M. IT., a Mahomedan female, aged twenty-seven years, was 
bitten while asleep on the night of June 13tli, 1870, by a 
snake (not known). Mr. Connolly states that the woman had 
retired to rest with her infant, when she felt herself bitten 
on the right ankle. The snake endeavoured to cross over the 
mother s body to where the infant was sleeping, when the 
woman struck at the snake with her hand and was bitten a 
second time on the middle finger. Fortunately the infant 
escaped unhurt, but the mother died, how long after the bite 
is not stated. The body was examined and the lungs were 
found congested. The heart contained dark frothy blood. 
The abdominal viscera were congested. The blood was dark, 
whether fluid or coagulated is not stated. The brain was con¬ 
gested and decomposed. Cadaveric rigidity is said not to 
have been present when the post-mortem examination was 
made. 
I he following cases are reported by tbe Civil Surgeon of 
Furreedpore, Bengal:— 
Jameena TCliatoon, a IVTaliornedan woman, aged fifty years 
was bitten at 3 p.m. Aug. 11th, 1870, by a Keautiah snake 
(small black Cobra). She was treated by incantations and 
charms, but died three hours after the bite. No further details 
are given. 
Nuddei Nam Mundle, a male Hindoo, aged thirty years, 
was bitten at 10 a.m. on Aug. 17th, 1870, by a “ Chundra Bora” 
(■Daboia russellii). He was treated by incantations and charms, 
but died in seven hours from the time he was bitten. No 
further details are given, and the body was not sent in for ex¬ 
amination. 
Tiluk Mistree, aged fifty-five years, of the village of Bahia- 
haboo, was, it is stated, bitten by a “ Bora” {Daboia russellii) on 
Sept. 13th. No information regarding symptoms or treatment 
is given. He died nine days after the bite. No post-mortem 
examination was made. This case is not free from suspicion. 
The Daboia russellii generally kills very quickly. It is a pitv 
further details of the case were not given, as it is quite possible 
the m,an was bitten by an innocent snake and that death 
occurred from another cause. 
Parbut Khan, a Mahomedan, aged fifty years, of the village 
of Uttghur, was, it is stated, bitten by a Cobra (P), at 7 p.m. on 
May 3rd, 1870. He was treated by muntros (incantations and 
charms), but died seventeen hours after being bitten. The 
body was not sent in for examination. 
Saugo Bewail, a Mahomedan, aged sixty years, was bitten by 
a snake (name unknown) on Sept. 20th, 1870. He died in half 
an hour. No further particulars are given. The body was 
not sent in for examination. 
^ Abdool, a Mahomedan boy, aged three years, was bitten by a 
Gokurrah [Naja Iripudians) on Sept. 14th, 1870, at the village 
of Koodabia. He died one hour after being bitten. No further 
particulars given. The body was not sent in for examination. 
Anundo Chanelolinee, a girl, aged fifteen years, was bitten by 
a Gokurrah (N. iripudians ), at tbe village of Niloki Furreedpore 
on Sept. 14th, 1870. She did not come under treatment, and 
p 
