58 
THE THAN ATO PH1D IA OF INDIA. 
Lotawon Chumar, aged fifty years, was bitten on Aug. 7tb, 
1870, under tlie following circumstances. He was sleeping in a 
poultry-yard in Benares, when lie was suddenly awoke by a 
great noise among the fowls at 4 a.m., and whilst moving about 
to ascertain the cause, was bitten by something that he did not 
see, as it was dark—he suspected that it was a snake. When 
daylight appeared he found a fowl lying dead, and he then 
himself began to feel ill; a little later he became insensible, and 
was brought to the dispensary at 7 a.m. On admission his 
pulse was very feeble; he was insensible, and unable to stand. 
The only mark of injury was a black spot near the ankle joint. 
The wound was incised and liquor ammonia; applied to it. It 
was also administered internally every fifteen minutes; twenty 
drops with water, equal parts, were injected under the skin, but 
he never rallied, and died half an hour after admission. No 
examination of the body was allowed by the friends. 
The following case is recorded by Surgeon T. Binger, 7th 
Bengal Cavalry, Nowgong, Bundelkund :— 
Butchoo, a Chumar grass-cutter, aged thirty years, was bitten 
at 9 a.m. on Sept. 13th, 1870, by what is called a “ Chittee”— 
probably Bung arm cceruleus if a venomous snake, perhaps Lycodon 
aulicus if innocent, which is not impossible. He was cutting 
grass, when the snake bit him on the inner side of the base of 
the left index finger; he raised his hand on feeling the bite ; 
the snake was holding on ; he knocked it off with his kurpa— 
the knife with which they cut grass—and it escaped in the grass. 
He then, in a fright, ran off towards the Cantonments and fell 
down insensible about half a mile from the lines, where he 
was picked up by two grass-cutters about two hours afterwards. 
On admission he was almost completely insensible, and covered 
with cold sweat; saliva running from the mouth ; pupils con¬ 
tracted ; pulse very weak and small; fluid blood oozing from 
two punctured wounds. Vomited twice; burning pains horn 
the wounds continued for twenty-four hours. 
“ In this case,” Dr. Binger says, “ stimulants certainly were 
very beneficial. The man gradually recovered consciousness, 
but remained in a very lethargic state for several hours. Two 
men were constantly in attendance to prevent him going to 
sleep, and he was roused by repeated cold douches; sinapisms 
and stimulants were continued until all bad symptoms had 
ceased. He appeared quite well at 10 p.m., and asked for food. 
He returned to his duties on Sept. 15tli.” 
The following cases are recorded by the Civil Surgeon of 
Bhotuck:— 
Namsahai, a Hindoo banniah, aged twenty-eight years, was 
bitten by a small snake—not seen, as it was dark—on July 7th, 
1870, at 11 p.m., under the following circumstances. He was 
asleep in the Serai, when the snake fell on his shoulder from the 
roof. 'Waking up suddenly he tried to knock it off, when it bit 
him in two places. All this occurred in the dark. The snake, 
in all probability, was the Krait {Bungarus cceruleus). at 4 a.m 
the symptoms were as follow:—Bloody froth escaping from the 
mouth. Pulse barely perceptible. Bed swelling like a bruise 
extending over left breast, which next day increased to centre of 
breastbone, and to the nipple of left breast, with a similar ap¬ 
pearance on the right side of the breast. On the following day 
another similar patch appeared on the back of the right thigh, 
just below the nates. Two bites on fore part of left shoulder, 
swollen. The bites were cauterized ; liquor ammonia?, and liquor 
arsenicalis given. After fourth dose began to improve ; car¬ 
bonate of ammonia given the following day. He left the hos¬ 
pital, cured, four days later. 
Hamid Hossein, a Mahomedan cloth-seller, aged twenty-five 
years, was bitten at 9 p.m. on July 24th, 1870, in the city of 
Bhotuck, when shutting a door; the snake is called in the ver¬ 
nacular “ Duffee.” It was in the wall. At 9.30 p.m. he was 
vomiting, and had prostration of strength and pain in bitten 
finger. The bite was cauterized and the liquor ammonite and 
liquor arsenicalis given. He recovered in two hours, and left 
the hospital next morning. 
Mugree Singh, a Jat, aged six years, was bitten by a snake 
on Sept. 12th, 1870, at 11 a.m. He was bitten in the perineum, 
near the bowel, when relieving nature in a field. When seen 
he was vomiting, was depressed and trembling Liquor am¬ 
monite and liquor arsenicalis were given, and caustic was applied 
to the bite, but he died in twelve hours. No examination of 
the body is recorded, and only the above details of the case, 
which is an interesting one, and would have been more so if 
more detailed. 
The following case is recorded by Dr. Jameson, Assistant- 
Surgeon 0th Bengal Cavalry, Allahabad :— 
Luchman, Hindoo kahar, aged twenty-seven years, was bitten 
at 5.35 p.m. on Sept. 13tli, 1869, by a Krait, when going down to 
a nullah to wash. The bite was in the ankle ; a mark like that 
of a snake’s fang was visible just above the left malleolus. He 
had a ligature applied tightly round the leg, free incision was 
made through the puncture, and liquor ammonise was ad¬ 
ministered internally and applied to the wound. About a 
minute elapsed before he was seen and placed under treatment. 
He appears to have had no symptoms of poisoning, and was 
soon after discharged quite well. As Dr. Jameson says, “ It is 
very doubtful if this was a Krait at all. The man said he saw 
it, and that it was a Krait; but as this was in the evening, this 
may be doubted.” 
The following case is reported by Dr. Penny, Civil Surgeon 
of Delhi, dated Jan. 25th, 1870 :— 
Musula, a Mahomedan water-carrier, a prisoner in the Delhi 
jail, aged twenty-five years, was bitten by a snake (probably a 
Cobra) on Sept. 2nd, 1869, at 7.30 p.m. He was going to close 
the hole in the water-tank in the jail, when he was bitten in 
the foot; the snake suddenly disappeared and was not again 
seen. The bite was on the ball of the right great toe, opposite 
the metatarso-phalangeal joint. He became insensible almost 
immediately and never recovered, and died at 9.31 p.m., or in 
two hours after receiving the bite. A ligature was applied, the 
fang marks were touched with caustic, and liquor ammonia? ad¬ 
ministered internally. The state of the viscera (abdominal and 
thoracic) is not recorded, nor is that of the blood after death. 
His condition before death is reported to have been as follows :— 
“ White fluid was oozing from the mouth ; body convulsed ; 
drowsy. The bitten part turned blue, and the toe was swollen.” 
From the circumstances and place in which this man was bitten, 
the snake was probably the Cobra. 
The following case is reported by Mr. Kingsmell, Civil 
Surgeon, Montgomery, Punjab, dated Jan. 25th, 1870 :— 
Three cases of snake-bite were treated by me at the Mont¬ 
gomery Dispensary during 1869. The most serious was 
that of Umra, who was bitten at 5 p.m. on Sept. 29th by a 
Cobra. On admission he complained of sickness and fainting ; 
pulse small and irregular; tongue clean, but cold. He was 
