EXPERIMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF SNAKE-POISON. 
97 
the bitten leg. 4.45.—Still walks about, but is sluggish and 
lame, and looks very dejected. The Fowl after this began to 
recover, and on the 21st, two days later, was quite well. The 
snake was evidently all but quite exhausted when he bit this bird. 
Experiment No. 11. 
The external jugular vein of a Dog was exposed at 3.6 p.m., 
and four drops of Cobra poison were injected; at least one drop 
was lost, the other three entered the vein. 
3.10. Dog looks dejected, and ears drooping; he lies down. 
3.33.—Beyond being sluggish no symptoms of poisoning. 
3.46.—Yery sluggish ; lies down. 3.47.—Liquor ammonia;, 
specific gravity '959, sixty drops injected into jugular vein; 
Dog lies quiet. Heart beating rapidly ; respiration very feeble. 
3.54.—Heart’s action very rapid; breathing rapid; muscular 
twitcliings. 3.57.—Injected sixty" more drops into the vein ; 
muscular twitcliings continue. 3.59.—Dead. 
Poison injected at 3.4 ; death at 3.59. Death in fifty-five 
minutes. The quantity of poison was very small from a 
weakened snake ; no effect was produced by the ammonia. 
Experiment No. 12. 
The jugular vein was exposed in a Dog; it was then bitten 
in the thigh by a fresh Cobra at 3.27. 
3.28.—Staggering; excited, springing ; howling violently; 
and trying to break the cord by which it is tied. 3.29.—Quiet; 
sitting down. 3.30.—Head drooping. 3.33.—Lying 1 on its 
side, slightly convulsed; sixty drops of a solution of quinine, 
of the strength of one grain in eight drops, was injected into the 
jugular vein. 3.34.—The Dog lies on its side, still slightly 
convulsed. 3.35.—Dead. Bitten at 3.27; dead at 3.35—in 
eight minutes. The quinine evidently did no good. 
Experiment No. 13. 
Equal parts of Cobra poison and liquor ammonias, specific 
gravity '959, were mixed together, and fifteen drops of the 
mixed fluid were injected with the hypodermic syringe into a 
Pigeon’s thigh at 4.30 p.m. Pigeon crouched immediately; at 
4.31 was unable to stand; the beak resting on the ground. 
4.32.—Convulsed; peculiar convulsive movements of the tail 
continuing. 4.32.—Dead. 
Injected at 4.30; death at 4.32—in two minutes. This 
experiment is very unfavourable to the theory of the antidotal 
action of liquor ammonise. 
Experiment No. 14. 
The external jugular vein of a large and powerful Dog having 
been exposed, ten drops of fresh Cobra poison were injected 
into it at 4.24 with the hypodermic syringe. 
4.24.30.—The Dog staggered, was convulsed, and fell over 
foaming at the mouth. 4.25.—Violently convulsed, but with 
no outcry or sign of suffering. Sixty drops of liquor ammonise, 
specific gravity -959, injected. Dead. 
Death occurred in about seventy seconds ; showing the 
frightful virulence of the poison when it finds entry by a 
large blood-vessel. 
How can such a death be explained otherwise than by ex¬ 
haustion of the nerve centres ? Any theory of blood change is 
surely totally inapplicable here. 
June 2Q>th, 1869. 
Present, Dr. Fayrer, Dr. Ewart, Professor of Physiology; 
and Dr. Sceva. 
Experiment No. 15. 
A Pariah Dog was bitten in the fore-arm by a Cobra (“ Kala 
Keautiah”) at 3.2 p.m. 
A ligature had been thrown round the limb above the bitten 
part, which was immediately tightened; a pointed steel, heated 
to a red heat, was then, at 3.3 p.m., inserted into the punctures, 
and the wounds were thoroughly cauterized. 
3.7. The Dog is restless, and is apparently under the in¬ 
fluence of the poison. 3.12.—Staggers as he walks. 3.14.— 
Forty drops of liquor ammonite, specific gravity ‘959, diluted 
with three parts of water, were injected into the jugular vein. 
3.17. The Dog runs about excited ; he was partially convulsed 
during the injection of the ammonia ; now sits up and then falls 
over backwards; breathing quickly. 3.20. — Lies down; is 
salivated. 3.27.—Sits down; paws the air; muscular twitcliings. 
3.38..—Lying on his side; convulsed. 3.44. — Lies paralysed; 
heart still beats, but no respiration. 4.45. — Dead. 
Notwithstanding the ligature, which was tightened imme¬ 
diately, the actual cautery, which also immediately followed the 
Cobra s fangs, and the injection of ammonia into the venous 
circulation, the snake-poison proved fatal to a full-grown Dog 
in forty-three minutes. 
Experiment No. 16. 
A Dog was bitten by a fresh Cobra (“ Kala Keautiah”) in the 
fore-arm at 3.38 p.m. ; a ligature was immediately tightened 
round the limb above the wound. The actual cautery was at 
once applied, until the fang wounds and the adjacent parts were 
completely disorganized. 
3.42. — The Dog is sitting, but reels as though he would fall 
over. 3.49.—Rises and walks with a staggering gait. 3.54. _ 
Sits down ; attempts to get up, and falls over backwards. 
3.57. — Is convulsed; falls over, cannot stand ; hurried breath¬ 
ing. 4.4.—Cannot move ; lies paralysed ; heart still beating ; 
respiration almost ceased ; pupils widely dilated. 4.6._Lies 
on its side ; convulsed. 4.12.—No respiration; but heart still 
beats feebly. 4.13. — Dead. 
In this case also, notwithstanding the ligature, which was 
applied as tightly as two persons could pull it round the leg, 
and the deep and thorough actual cauterization, immediately 
after the bite the snake-poison found entry into the system, 
and proved fatal in thirty-five minutes. The Dog was much 
smaller than that of the first experiment. 
Nothing, it seems to me, can more strongly demonstrate the 
extremely subtle and virulent nature of the Cobra poison than 
these experiments; nothing, I think, is more significant of the 
improbability of anything proving to be an antidote. If the 
poison find entry into the blood-vessels, and be carried to the 
nerve centres, I am inclined to believe that nothing can prove 
of any avail, excepting in those cases where the bite is imperfect, 
the quantity or the quality of the poison diminished or dete¬ 
riorated, or the snake itself is young, weak, exhausted, or is one 
of less poisonous family : such, I believe, are the only cases in 
which recovery occurs through the inherent vigour of the 
animal or person bitten, perhaps aided by stimulants and ex¬ 
citement. The favourable result is attributed, and naturally 
enough, by those who do not understand the modus ladendi of 
the venom, to the treatment by the so-called antidote. That 
we can aid in such recoveries, and that we may do much to 
help the sufferer through the troubles arising from general 
disorder and secondary blood poisoning, I have no doubt; and 
I would offer every encouragement to all to persevere in their 
attempts. But I must again state my conviction that nothing 
that can properly be called an antidote to Cobra or Viper poison 
exists ; and the more this is known the better, for mistaken 
notions on such an important matter can only do harm, and 
may be the cause of losing, rather than of saving life. 
My belief is that if an animal, and probably a man, be fairly 
bitten by a fresh and vigorous Cobra or Daboici, it or he will 
inevitably succumb, unless some immediate and direct method 
of arresting the entry of the poison into the circulation be 
practised. 
That such may be done I will not deny; but the two 
experiments just recorded, performed with the greatest care 
and speed by two surgeons accustomed to such operations, show 
