■■■ 
CASES OF SNAKE-BITE. 
was freely scarified, and the cupping glass applied. Ammonia 
was given repeatedly at short intervals. Bum was also freely 
administered, and means were taken to prevent sleep. 
“ When the patient was presented to me as a specimen of 
snake-bite cured by cupping, ammonia, and rum, I expressed my 
doubts, after an examination of the seat of scarification, whether 
he had been bitten at all; and if he had been bitten, whether 
the snake was poisonous. 
“ I submitted the snake to Dr. Fayrer, C.S.I., who pronounced 
it to be the ‘ lycodon aulicus —perfectly innocent. It is some¬ 
thing like the Krait (. Bungarus cteruleus), and often gets blamed 
accordingly.’ He adds, ‘ The double row of teeth in the upper 
jaw shows it to be an innocent (land) snake.’ 
“ The effect of fear was well shown in this case, as producing 
several of the symptoms met with in men and animals poisoned 
by snakes. This fear was intensified by his having seen the 
reptile, and being under the firm belief that it was a Krait, well 
known by every native to be poisonous to a deadly degree. 
Had the snake not been identified by unimpeachable authority, 
the notion might have been entertained that the patient had 
recovered, under the influence of cupping, ammonia, and rum, 
from the effects of the bite of the deadly Krait. 
“ Remarks. —These cases are instructive. They show how the 
symptoms of venom from poisonous snakes may be uninten¬ 
tionally simulated for a time by the influence of the fear of 
certain death, and how easily the practitioner may be deceived 
unless he is on the alert. The results of the experiments made 
by Dr. Fayrer have all tended to prove that when the venom 
of the poisonous snakes of India has penetrated beneath the 
integument of such large animals as the horse, it inevitably 
causes death, in spite of the administration or application of 
reputed remedies. After a prolonged and patient trial of sup¬ 
posed antidotes, he has been reluctantly compelled to arrive at 
the conclusion that for the poison of Indian venomous snakes 
at least there has not as yet been discovered an antidote. 
Through his kindness, I have witnessed a large number of his 
experiments, and, so far as my observation goes, I am constrained 
to concur in the conclusions at which he has arrived with regard 
to the question of antidotes. Equally with him, I am of 
opinion that most, if not all, of the reputed cures from the 
bites of poisonous snakes have been quite as deceptive and illu¬ 
sory as the two cases forming the subject of this communica¬ 
tion. Judging from repeated observation of the mortal effects 
rapidly following the injection of the poison of the Cobra, the 
Daboia, OphiopJagus, the Krait, &c., below the skin, I am 
convinced that we have not as yet found out any medicine 
which can be fairly looked upon as possessing in the least 
degree the virtues of an antidote.” 
The following case is of great interest. It shows how great 
is the liability to error, even where the evidence seems perfectly 
complete. It is reported by Mr. John C. Douglas, Teacher of 
Science of the Department of Science and Art, E. B. 
There can be, I believe, no doubt that the Lemur, or 
Nycticebus tardigradus , is a most harmless, gentle little 
creature, and yet it is convicted on the best evidence of poison¬ 
ing a man by its bite, as a venomous snake would have poisoned 
him. 
The effects so well described by the author of the paper 
were probably due to mental causes, with some coincident dis¬ 
order. This is a good example of the necessity for extreme 
caution in arriving at conclusions, or generalizing on in¬ 
sufficient data. 
I am exceedingly obliged to the talented inquirer for liis 
kindness in sending me the notes of this case, and hope he will 
continue to record any observations he may make on poisonous 
animals and their bites. 
On the 1/th December; while clearing trees and jungle on 
the road between Chittagong and Bamoo, near Hurbaug, an 
alaim was laised by the coolies that a young tig’er had been 
found. Myself and tin inspector of telegraphs working under 
my orders went to the spot and discovered a small animal, ap¬ 
parently crouching, on a low bough ; the coolies and one or 
two travellers from the road surrounded the tree and cap¬ 
tured the animal; the first man who seized it, not being able 
to tell at which end its head was, was bitten. A string was 
passed round the animal’s neck, and it was brought on to 
the road. 
“ Description of the Animal. —About eighteen inches long, 
quadrumanous, tailless, without callosities ; colour, sandy; hinder 
extremities long and powerful; index finger of forehand short, 
apparently the shortest finger; head small; neck scarcely percep¬ 
tible, the head appearing to be joined directly to body; ears 
small, and had the appearance a cat’s ears would have if cropped 
close; face triangular, nose being sharp ; eyes very large indeed, 
with vertical pupils contracted to a narrow line in sunlight, 
much like a cat; motions slow and awkward on the ground ; fur 
fine and close. The animal was not known by name to any 
one of the natives of the place ; many were attracted to see it 
by a rumour that it was a tiger cub. One man said he had been 
seventy-five years in the place, and had never seen one before; 
another man had seen one and killed it some short time before ; 
but of the many wdio saw it, travellers, villagers, &c., none 
could name it. 
“ A syce in camp said it was a ‘ boo ka butchaha;’ that its 
bite would cause giddiness, but the person bitten would not die 
soon (!). Having no zoological works of reference, I have been 
unable to name the animal. Other persons who did not see it 
suggested it might be a liookoo, but this I cannot decide on ; 
the descriptions given in books or the specimens in a museum 
are necessary; the animal is not one it would be difficult to 
recognise. 
“ I thought of killing the animal and salting it for investiga¬ 
tion, but it was suggested to me to keep it alive ; and as this 
would give opportunities for trying its bite on animals, I tied 
it up by the neck ; its head and neck being of the same circum¬ 
ference, it slipped its head out of the string. I then tied it by 
the waist, and fastened it by a dog-chain to a bush; it escaped 
again after dark, and although all the men in camp turned out 
at once, and within ten minutes of its escape, it was not re¬ 
captured. Bewards were offered for it dead or alive, or for one 
like it, without effect. 
“ The Effects of the Rite. —The man who was bitten was 
Magoonally; father’s name Assanally; village, Sathkurna ; age 
about thirty; spare ; travelling to Akyab to work at cutting 
the rice crops ; has several scars from cuts; does not faint at 
sight of blood ; did not faint when he cut himself passing aloim 
the road; seeing the attempts to surround the animat, joined 
the coolies ; as the animal crouched, could not tell which was its 
head; seized it, and it turned round and bit him on first firmer 
of left hand, first joint near nail; bite, a slit about half an inch 
long. Certainly within five minutes of being bitten the man 
was senseless; he reached the road with difficulty, and speedily 
became insensible, having first complained of pain in the arm 
to the shoulder. I ordered him to be kept horizontal, a tight 
string tied round the arm. above the elbow, and I sent to the 
camp for brandy; the face had a very anxious expression at first. 
I did not suppose the effect due to anything but fear, or a 
constitutional horror of blood. I therefore tried to persuade 
the man and the bystanders the animal was a harmless monkey. 
A native passing stopped, performed ceremonies over the 
injured man, bled by scoring his arm lightly with a sharp 
knife : this I did not interfere with, finding the man continued 
insensible. I sent to ask an inspector working a short distance 
off if he had ever heard of a similar case or seen the animal 
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II 
