EXPERIMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF SNAKE-POISON. 
79 
on tlie nose, on the side of the head (in the temporal muscle), 
and in the thigh. 
The post-mortem appearances of the viscera were like those 
in other animals. 
This Viper was the same that had been frequently used in 
other experiments before described, and must have been con¬ 
siderably weakened. The deadly nature of the snake is manifest 
from this continued power of inflicting mortal wounds, and it is 
probable that it has the power of rapidly secreting fresh poison. 
It is regarded with great dread by the snake-catchers, and evi¬ 
dently with good reason. 
EIGHTH SERIES. 
Experiments on the Influence of the Poisons of the Daboia, 
Cobra, and Ophiophagus. 
September 11 th, 1868. 
I am indebted to Messrs. Greenhill and Rutherford, Vete¬ 
rinary Surgeons, for the opportunity of making the following 
experiments. The Horses experimented on had been con¬ 
demned to be destroyed for the disease partial paraplegia, 
(“ gone in the loins”), and were placed at my disposal by 
the above gentlemen, for whose valuable aid in noting the 
symptoms and recording the pathological conditions I am 
under much obligation. The disease, though incapacitating 
the animal for work, is not such as to reduce his strength so 
much as to vitiate the evidence derived from the effects upon 
him of the poison; and I believe these experiments may be 
accepted as fair illustrations of the action of snake-poison on the 
larger animals. The subjects experimented on were a stud-bred 
Mare about 14 hands 3 inches high and aged twenty-seven years, 
suffering from partial paraplegia, and an Australian Horse, 1 5 
hands 1 inch, nine years old, a powerful animal, and in good 
condition, though also paraplegic. The Mare succumbed in an 
hour and twenty minutes from the effects of the bite of a large 
Cobra ; whilst the stronger and younger Horse survived the bite 
of a powerful, fresh, and full-grown Daboia nearly twelve hours. 
The difference in the effects of the poison of the Daboia and 
Cobra in these two cases is very remarkable, not only as to the 
duration of life in the animals bitten, but also in the patholo¬ 
gical conditions before and after death. 
The Mare bitten by the Cobra was rapidly affected—staggered, 
became exhausted, and died in less than an hour and a half. 
The post-mortem examination showed distinct rigor mortis, 
firm coagulation of the blood; the heart and large vessels, aorta 
as well as vena; cavao, distended by firm ante- and post-mortem 
coagula. The lungs were very slightly congested, frothy when 
cut into, and on the anterior surface rather pale and bloodless 
than the reverse—whilst all the abdominal viscera were equally 
free from congestion. The Horse bitten by the Daboia, on the 
other hand, was affected very slowly, and seemed to doze his 
life away until just at the last, when a few unconscious plunges 
terminated his existence; the post-mortem in this case showed 
less cadaveric rigidity, fluid blood, empty cardiac cavities, and 
lungs and other viscera congested. 
But it is to be noted that the Cobra bit more vigorously, 
forced his fangs deeper, and had to deal with a more feeble 
animal than the Daboia, who bit a more powerful and healthy 
Horse, and did not insert his teeth with such vigour as the Cobra. 
The snakes were both fresh and full-grown, and their terrible 
power was strikingly illustrated by the death of these two Horses. 
The difference observed in the pathological appearances, and 
state of the blood after death, may probably be accounted for 
by the greater rapidity of death in one case, rather than by any 
essential difference in the nature of the action of the poisons. 
The Mare bitten by the Cobra died in eighty minutes, and after 
death the blood coagulated firmly, and was found distending the 
heart and great vessels with firm coagula. Death was probably 
caused by the rapid effects of the poison on the nerve centres, 
before the blood had time to be thoroughly devitalized. In the 
other case, where death did not occur for nearly twelve hours, 
there was no coagulation either in or out of the heart or vessels ; 
sufficient time had elapsed to allow the blood to be thus 
thoroughly changed. I am inclined to believe that if death 
were protracted after a Cobra bite, the condition of the blood 
would be as it was in the case of the Daboia bite. 
Experiment No. 1. 
A bay Australian Gelding—15 hands 1 inch high, nine years 
old, and partially paraplegic, but otherwise a strong, well-con¬ 
ditioned Horse ; pulse 42, soft; respiration 48 per minute—was 
bitten by a full-grown fresh Daboia russellii near the lower part 
of the neck, over the track of the right jugular.* The snake 
struck vigorously and drew blood freely. The time was 12.15. 
12.19.—Respiration 58 (gone up 10).- pulse still 42. 12.30. 
—Respiration 64; pulse now 64. The puncture swollen. 
12.52.—Lies down; looks languid; pulse 80 and weak. 1.1.— 
Twitching of head to the near side ; Horse still down and very 
dull. Lower lip pendulous ; muzzle resting on the ground; 
sight and hearing natural. 1.5.—A spasmodic twitch of the 
muscles of the neck; patches of urticaria, about the size of a 
shilling, making their appearance on the abdominal surface. 
1.9.—Pulse 70, intermittent. 1.6.—Pulse 76 ; respirations 52. 
Can rise from the recumbent posture without much effort. 
3.—Pulse 80, tremulous and intermittent; Horse looks dull and 
sleepy; yawning, getting up, and lying down again very fre¬ 
quently as in colic. 4.30.—Pulse 67, weak and intermittent; 
breathing hurried; Horse standing, but very dull; wound 
swollen, and very painful to the touch; mucous membrane of 
mouth pallid; ears and legs cold; body moderately warm; 
when roused is quite sensible. 6.—Horse lying down, breathing 
heavily; pulse almost imperceptible at the jaw, 60 ; fugitive 
colic pains. 9.30.—Breathing stertorous and very heavy ; body 
and extremities cold ; pulse imperceptible; Horse drank a little 
water, but is evidently sinking; region of wound much swollen 
and very painful; purging thin watery feces (they were quite 
natural when the Horse was bitten). 11.45.—Down and strug¬ 
gling; getting up and moving to and fro in the loose box rest¬ 
lessly ; then lying down again and struggling with all four 
legs ; straining and passing small quantities of watery faeces 
with flatus. 12.-—Dead. Bitten at 12.15. Died at 12, mid¬ 
night— i.e., in eleven hours and three-quarters. 
Post-mortem twelve hours after death.—Cadaveric rigidity 
moderate ; abdomen distended, and mucous membrane of rectum 
partially congested and swollen; vicinity of wound blackened 
by infiltrated blood in the cellular tissue. Muscles all disco¬ 
loured, and general venous congestion apparent. 
Heart, right auricle empty; right ventricle contained a 
little frothy blood; left auricle and ventricle both empty; 
substance of heart firm, but presents numerous small eccliy- 
mosed spots. Larger blood-vessels as usual. Blood in them 
fluid. Lungs congested. Liver and spleen congested. Mucous 
surface of intestines in a highly irritable state, congested and 
thickened. Other viscera healthy. 
Experiment No. 2. 
A stud-bred Mare, about 14 hands 3 inches high, aged twenty- 
seven, suffering from partial paraplegia and emphysema of lungs, 
but otherwise strong, was bitten at 12.22 in the integument of 
root of the neck on the right side, and just above the right 
nostril, by a full-grown, fresh, and vigorous Cobra ( Naja Iripu- 
dians). The punctures bled freely. Before being bitten the pulse 
was 57,respirations 36. 12.26.—Pulse 60; restless; moves the 
* The vein was not penetrated. 
