THE THANATOPHIDTA OF INDIA. 
04 
occur before respiration lias been sufficiently interfered with to 
account for it. 
The post-mortem appearances frequently reveal simply nothing 
except the marks of the fangs and the slight ecchymosis about 
them ; or if the creature have survived some hours, infiltration, 
and perhaps incipient decomposition of the tissues and gangrene. 
The lungs are not generally congested, the heart is not generally 
over-loaded, the viscera look natural enough, but death is pro¬ 
bably due in the majority of cases to arrest of the respiration, 
as proved by the experiments performed by Dr. Brunton and 
myself. The blood in the cases of the lower animals—and if 
in them why not in Man?*—nearly always coagulates firmly 
on removal from the body, after death from poisoning by the 
colubrine snakes ; but in death by viperine poison it frequently 
remains permanently fluid. The cause of this I am quite 
unable to explain, but such I found to be the case in most of 
my experiments in India. The subject, however, is still under 
investigation. 
From experiment I have arrived at the following conclu¬ 
sions :—Snake-poison acts with most vigour on the warm-blooded 
animals; birds succumb very rapidly, a vigorous snake can 
destroy a Fowl in a few seconds. 
The power of resistance is generally in relation to the size of 
the animal, though not altogether so ; Cats, for example, resist 
the influence of the poison almost as long as Dogs three or four 
times their size. 
The cold-blooded animals also succumb to the poison, but 
less rapidly. Fish, non-venomous snakes, Mollmca, all die. 
So far as I can decide from experience the poisonous snakes 
are not affected by their own poison— i.e., a Cobra may bite 
itself or another Cobra, and with no evil result. 
The less are probably affected by the more poisonous snakes—- 
e.g., the Bungarus seems to be affected by Cobra poison, though 
slowly. 
It is possible that they can all to some extent affect each 
other, though infinitely less than they affect other animals. 
In many of the various experiments I have performed, the 
Cobra, Daboici, and Krait did not appear to be able to poison 
themselves or each other. Some of the experiments render this 
doubtful, and seem to show that a Cobra or JDaboia may poison 
a Krait, or vice versa, but that they escape more frequently than 
they suffer. 
Snake-poison is absorbed through delicate membranes. It 
is deadly when applied to a mucous or serous membrane, to 
the stomach, or the conjunctiva. The idea that it is only 
capable of absorption by direct injection into the blood is 
erroneous. 
The bodies of animals poisoned by snakes are eaten with 
impunity by Man and animals. I have had repeated proofs of 
this. The Fowls and Pigeons killed in my experiments were 
always taken away and eaten by the sweepers who were present, 
and who sought them greedily. They were not unfrequently 
given to Dogs or Cats: no harm followed. 
The blood of an animal dead from snake-poisoning is itself 
poisonous ; if injected into another animal it destroys life. 
This shows the intensity of the poison : a drop or two diluted with 
the blood of a Fowl or other animal renders the whole poisonous. 
Venomous snakes, though not at all or very slightly affected 
by snake-poison, are very susceptible to other poisons, such as 
* It is to be observed tliat in most recorded post-mortem examinations of human 
beings who have died from snahe-bite (whether colubrine or viperine) the blood is 
noted to have remained fluid alter death. I cannot reconcile this with the condi¬ 
tion of the blood in animals which is, as I have stated, usually coagulable after death 
from colubrine poisoning, but fluid after death from viperine poisoning. Further 
examination is needed. 
strychnine or carbolic acid. The latter destroys them very 
rapidly, and they seem to regard it with peculiar aversion. 
Poisonous snakes are not as a general rule very aggressive, 
except perhaps the Echis. They seek to be left in quiet, to be 
let alone. They bite only if disturbed or irritated, and even 
then they often will not bite, but make one or two strokes at 
the enemy as if to frighten it. 
In my experiments I had always the. greatest difficulty to 
get the Cobra, Krait, or Daboia to bite voluntarily. An 
animal may remain in a cage or box with a Cobra or Daboia a 
very long time before it is injured, and perhaps, after all, it is 
taken out untouched, even after trampling on and bruising the 
snake in its efforts to escape from its enemy, which is as much 
frightened as itself. There is much hissing and demonstration 
of attack, but frequently nothing done. If pressed and over¬ 
teased, they bite at last, and if they insert their fangs and 
retain their hold, the bite is generally fatal. 
The Echis, however, will strike and mortally wound a Fowl 
or small animal directly it approaches it, and its dart is so rapid 
that it is scarcel}' - seen. 
Snakes frequently strike and even wound without poisoning. 
The fang merely scratches and makes a tear, but if inserted 
and retained for a second the poisonous bite has then been in¬ 
flicted. Of course any abrasion or scratch, however trivial, may 
be dangerous, as some of the virus may be inoculated or shed 
over it, probably not enough to kill, but sufficient to cause 
dangerous symptoms. 
A snake that has bitten often, or that his very recently 
eaten, or that has been long in confinement without food, 
is less dangerous than others; its bite may be almost harm¬ 
less, though not always so. A Daboia that lived a whole 
year in a cage without food was deadly a few days before its 
death. 
The poisonous snakes when they either shed or lose by 
accident their fangs, regain new ones in from a few days to a 
month or six weeks. An Echis was refurnished with fangs, 
firmly ancliylosed to the maxillary bone, on the third day after 
the removal of the former ones. If the whole mucous capsule 
be removed, and the maxillary bone injured in extracting the 
fangs, the reserve teeth already developed and the germs are 
also destroyed, and no new fangs are reproduced. This is 
often done by the snake-catchers, but when imperfectly and the 
reserve fangs and germs not destroyed, fatal accidents have 
occurred from the unexpected reappearance of fangs. 
Snakes cast their epidermis frequently; the Cobra and Krait 
once or twice in a month, but the Echis I have kept for three 
months without its changing its skin. Snakes will live months 
without food or water. A Daboia lived for one year without 
food. It moulted frequently, became very thin, but it was 
active and poisonous to the last. 
I conclude this summary by remarking that I feel thankful 
that I have brought a long series of experiments to a conclusion 
without any accident of a serious nature to those concerned in 
them. The constant manipulation of excited and vicious 
venomous snakes is a service of danger, and one in which we 
could hardly expect to be long engaged without some casuality. 
I am happy to say that only on two occasions was there any 
cause for anxiety. In the first, one of my assistants had a 
small quantity of Cobra poison projected into the eye. Imme¬ 
diate ablution and careful avoidance of rubbing removed it, 
leaving only a temporary congestion and weakness of the 
conjunctiva. 
In the second case my principal snake-man was bitten by an 
Echis in the thumb ; immediate excision and cauterization of 
the part was had recourse to, and no evil results followed. 
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