EXPERIMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF SNAKE-POISON. 
Crouching, head drooping, appears giddy. 5.30.—Lying on 
one side; convulsive movements. 5.35. Dead—in seventy-five 
minutes. 
What can more forcibly illustrate the extraordinary virulence 
and potency of the poison than this experiment ? A few drops 
of the blood of a Dog poisoned by a Cobra, diluted with water, 
injected into a Fowl’s thigh, killed the bird in seventy-five 
minutes. The quantity must have been excessively minute, 
hut it proves how it retains its power, although diluted and 
mixed with the blood. 
August 14 th, 1869. 
Present, Drs. Fayrer, W. Palmer, and Mr. Sceva. 
Experiment No. 11. 
A gentleman residing at Rolituck having forwarded to me 
the powdered root or some other part of a plant, name and 
family unknown, which he had found useful in the treatment of 
snake-bites, and having requested me to test its efficacy, the 
following experiment was made :— 
One drachm of the powder was rubbed with six peppers into 
a pulp and mixed with water. 
A Pariah Dog was then bitten by a Cobra (variety “Kurrees 
Keautiah,” of the snake-men) in the thigh at 3.13 p.m. ; part of 
the antidote was then, according to Mr. F.’s direction, rubbed 
into the punctures, and the remainder administered internally, 
immediately after the outward application. 3.18._The Doo- 
is affected by the poison, he is restless, nauseated, making efforts 
to vomit; walks with a staggering gait. 3.22.—Limbs partially 
paralysed. 3.23.—Convulsed, unable to rise. 3.25.—Lies per¬ 
fectly motionless, muscles generally twitching. 3.26._Dead_ 
in thirteen minutes. 
The drug had evidently no effeet in retarding the action of 
the poison. The Dog, which was a medium-sized animal, died 
even sooner than usual. 
Experiment No. 12. 
A Mahomedan Hakeem, Mahomed Khan, presented himself 
with some medicine, with which, he said, he had successfully 
treated several cases of snake-hite in men. It was a strong aro¬ 
matic smelling powder, dissolved in water, hut he could tell me no 
more than that it was a jungle root. He asked to he allowed 
to try it, and appeared quite confident of success. A very 
large and powerful Pariah Dog was then placed at his disposal, 
also a Cobra, which was not fresh, having been in captivity 
for some, time, and had bitten before. He had the Dog bitten 
in the thigh by the Cobra at 3.35 p.m. He was allowed to do, 
or direct to be done, whatever he liked. At 3.36 he administered 
a quantity of the drug, which was swallowed by the Dog. 3.87._ 
The bitten leg is partially paralysed. 3.45.—The Dog is sluggish 
and lying down. 3.46.—A second dose administered. 3.48.-_ 
Hurried breathing. 3.50.—The Dog is nauseated, and rejected 
some half-digested meat. 3.55.—Uneasy; hurried breathing. 
4.2.- Lying down, panting, frothing at the mouth. 4.5._ 
Retching. 4.7. Lying down; looks depressed, but quite in¬ 
telligent. 4.15.—When roused staggers as he walks. 4.18._ 
Lies prone, with the legs outstretched. Has very little control 
over the hind-legs when roused. 4.20.—Another large dose 
of the drug administered by the Hakeem. 4.21._Limbs con¬ 
vulsed, unable to rise. 4.24.—Tries to rise, falls over. 4.26.— 
Convulsed. 4.32.—Is quite paralysed ; pupils widely dilated. 
4.35. Heart still beats, no respiratory movements. 4.40._ 
Pupils contracted again (I have observed this symptom in 
another Dog just before death). 4.42.—Dead; pupils again 
dilated. Bitten at 3.35, dead at 4.42—in sixty-seven minutes. 
The Dog was a remarkably powerful and vigorous animal. 
The snake was not fresh, and yet the Dog succumbed in one 
hour and seven minutes. 
The Hakeem expressed much astonishment at the results ; 
he evidently believed that his drug would prove an antidote. 
He said, m a somewhat depressed tone of voice, that he had 
other remedies. He was invited to put them to a similar 
test. 
Experiment No. 13 . 
A very large and vigorous Pariah Dog was bitten in the 
marginal fold of integument between the thigh and abdomen 
by a Cobra at 3.55 p.m. The part was immediately cut out 
with a bistoury, the places where the fangs had penetrated 
being completely removed. The instrument was at hand, and 
the operation was done at once. Two seconds, not more, might 
have intervened between the bites and the excision. 
At 4 p.m. some brandy was poured down the Dog’s throat. 
4.6.— Another dose of brandy administered. 4.16.—He is 
excited, and the respiration is hurried, perhaps from the brandy. 
4.25. — The Dog is not yet affected by the poison. 4.33. _ 
Much the same, the breathing rather hurried. 4.49. _ No 
symptoms of poisoning except the hurried breathing, and that 
may be from excitement. 4.47.-—More brandy given. 4.50._ 
No symptom of poisoning as yet. 5.10. — Vomited; shows 
symptoms of being jioisoned. 5.15. — Vomited again. 5.30._ 
Restless, breathing hurriedly ; abundant flow of saliva. 6 p.m._ - 
Slight convulsions; breathing hurried. 6.30.—Dead. Bitten 
at 3.55, dead at 6.30 — in two hours and thirty-five minutes. 
Here again the extraordinary virulence of the poison is 
shown. The snake bit in a fold of skin which was immediately 
excised; yet in the slight interval, it could not have been 
more than two seconds, enough of the poison had entered the 
cn culation to cause death in two hours and thirty-five minutes, 
notwithstanding the free administration of brandy. The Dog 
too was an unusually large and vigorous animal. 
Experiment No. 14. 
A Fowl was bitten in the thigh by a Cobra at 4.13 p.m. 
The part in which the fangs had lodged was immediately 
excised with a sharp scalpel. 4.17.—Fowl lying down show¬ 
ing no signs of poisoning. 4.20.—Fowl rather drowsy, eyes 
closing, head drooping. 4.25.—Breathing hurried; drowsy. 
4.28. — When roused can stand, but cannot walk, and falls 
over; gasping. 4.31 .—Convulsed. 4.33.—Dead—in twenty- 
one minutes. 
This again shows the extraordinary virulence of the poison. 
The entire mass of muscle into which the fangs were impressed 
was clearly cut away within three seconds after the bite, and 
yet poison sufficient had found entry to cause death. That 
death was much retarded there can be no doubt, for the Fowl 
lived twenty-one minutes, instead of three or four, after being 
bitten. Slight as is the encouragement to be derived from such 
experiments as this, it yet points in the right direction in 
which we are to look for any rational treatment. 
Experiment No. 15. 
A Fowl was bitten in the carpal extremity of one wing, in a 
thoroughly vascular part, by a Cobra at 4.40 p.m. This was 
amputated at the carpal joint immediately the fangs were with¬ 
drawn. The scalpel was ready, and it was removed within 
three seconds of the completion of the bite. The amputation 
was about half an inch above the highest fang’s mark. 4.4S. _ 
No symptom of poisoning, no bleeding from the wing. The 
Fowl is running about quite indifferent to either poison or 
amputation so far. 4.55. — No symptom of poisoning as yet. 
August 15th, noon.—The Fowl is alive and well; in this 
case the poison had evidently not entered the circulation, the 
excision having been in time to prevent it. These experiments 
all prove that the poison takes effect chiefly through the venous 
circulation, and that if excision be practised immediately and 
thoroughly, either the whole or part of it may be prevented 
from entering the circulation. No doubt some of the poison 
finds way into the circulation by diffusion from the centre of 
inoculation, and thus all may not be removed by even very free 
