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EXPERIMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF SNAKE-POISON. 
ing. 12.22.—Head falls over, beak resting on the ground • winces I 
drooping. 12.24.— Paralysed; attempts to rise; falls over. 
12.25. —Springs from the ground in convulsions ; comb and 
wattles have become livid. TLe brilliant red colour is gone. 
12.28.— Convulsed. 12.30. —Dead—in fourteen minutes. 
Experiment No. 31. 
Tbiee diops of tlie same poison injected into a Fowl's wing 
at 12.20. 12.22. Crouching. 12.25. —Runs about, but is 
weak. 12.2G.— Drooping, beak resting on the ground. 12.28._ 
Almost paralysed. 12.30.— Fallen over. 12.32.— Slightly 
convulsed; sprang from the ground once or twice. 12.33.— 
Dead—in thirteen minutes. 
Experiment No. 32. 
Two drops of Ophiophagus poison diluted with twenty of water 
were injected into a Fowl’s thigh at 12.38. 12.42.— Drooping; 
falls over, beak resting on the ground. 12.45.— Springs from the 
ground, falls as though dead. 12.47. —Dead—in nine minutes. 
In this case, diluting the poison with water made it more 
active, for it killed in nine minutes, whereas a larger quantity 
of poison undiluted killed in thirteen to fourteen minutes. 
Experiment No. 33. 
One drop of Ophiophagus poison, four drops of liquor potassse, 
and eighteen drops of water were mixed, and then injected at 
12.42 into a Fowl’s thigh. 12.45. —Limps on injected leg; 
falls over. 12.47. —Convulsed. 12.50. —Convulsed. 12.54. —- 
Dead—in twelve minutes. Convulsive springs from the ground 
less violent than in the last case. 
The liquor potassse had no antidotal effect. It seems to 
me almost conclusive that liquor potassse does not destroy the 
activity of the poison. In this case there was only a single 
drop of poison to four drops of liquor potassse, and this was 
diluted with eighteen drops of water. The Fowl died in twelve 
minutes, that is, two minutes sooner than oneof equal size that had 
been injected with three times as much of the poison undiluted. 
So far death from the poison of this snake seems quieter, and is 
attended with less suffering than death from the poison of the 
Cobra, though with very much the same symptoms generally. 
NINETEENTH SERIES. 
On the Influence of the Poisons of the Cobra, Ophiophagus, Bungarus 
cceruleus or Krait, and Bungarus fasciatus; on the Condition 
of the Blood after Beatli from Snake-Poison; and on the Effects 
of Certain Reputed Antidotes. 
July 1th, 1870. 
Through the kindness of Mr. Richards, Civil Surgeon of 
Bancoorah, I have had the opportunity of making the 
following experiments with Bungarus cceruleus. The snake 
was about thirty inches in length, and of the thickness of one’s 
little finger; it was vigorous, but was casting its cuticle. It 
reached Calcutta in a tin canister, perforated with a few air 
holes; a snake partly decomposed (species not distinguishable) 
and a small Frog in a similar condition, were found in the tin 
case when opened. These looked as if they had been rejected 
when half digested. 
Present, Dr. Fayrer. 
Experiment No. 1. 
At 7.50 a.m. a Fowl was bitten in the thigh by the Bungarus 
cceruleus; the Bungarus cceruleus on this occasion did not appear to 
bite very fiercely, but the bite left two points marked with blood. 
The Fowl ran about apparently unconcerned for a few minutes 
and was not the least lame on the bitten leg. 8.3.—Apparently 
not affected. 8.15.— Is drowsy; droops and hangs its head; 
walks lame. 8.20.— Convulsed. 8.30.— Lies paralysed and is 
unconscious. 8.35. —Dead—in forty-five minutes. 
117 
At 2 p.m. the Fowl was opened and blood removed; the heart 
contained a black, and at one part partially decolorized clot. 
The remainder of the blood was altered in appearance; it looked 
like port wine and water, and after standing for some time, 
formed an imperfect coagulum. The parts about the fang 
punctures were livid. 
Experiment No. 2. 
A full-grown and vigorous Pariah Dog was bitten in the outer 
part of the thigh by the same Bungarus cceruleus at 1.48 p.m. of 
the 7th July. The punctures drew blood, and the Dog winced 
and gave signs of pain for a moment. 
For some minutes after the bite the Dog seemed quite un¬ 
affected, he ran about as before, was neither lame nor affected 
in any way. 2.20. —Seemed restless, but active as before. 
3.20. —Salivation and frothing at the mouth commencing. 
3.40.— Nausea and vomiting. 3.42. —Trembling, depressed ; 
head drooping; is evidently much affected by the poison. 
3.55. —Involuntary defecation and micturition; lies down on 
its side; unable to raise its head. 4.22. —Breathing hurried; 
lies quiet; eyes wide open; pupils dilated. 4.33. —Convulsions 
commencing ; pupils widely dilated ; is unable to move. 4.55.— 
Convulsed. 5.4. —Appears dead, but the heart still beats; 
respiration lias ceased. 5.6. —Remains in the same condition ; 
heart beats fainter. 5.12. —Faint, irregular, cardiac beats still 
felt. 5.30. —Dead—in three hours and forty-two minutes. 
Body opened in one hour after deatli, and blood removed from 
great vessels. 
Examined at 8 a.m. next morning: an imperfect coagulum 
had formed, but the blood generally looked dark and grumous. 
I sent it to Dr. Cunningham for examination, and append his 
report, which is interesting, as it indicates a different condition 
of the blood from that of other snake-poisoned animals. 
“ My dear Dr. Fayrer, —The blood which you sent me this 
morning was quite different in its characters from the specimens 
which I examined previously. 
“ The reaction was faintly and permanently acid. 
“ The red corpuscles were in irregular masses, and had lost 
all distinctness of outline, and became semifused, as it were. 
The colouring matter had dissolved out, dyeing the serum and 
white corpuscles brownish. The white corpuscles were in 
some places in large masses visible to the naked eye. The most 
remarkable thing about them, however, was their extreme 
distension in many cases. I could find no cells that were not 
recognisable as more or less distended white corpuscles. Here¬ 
with I enclose a sketch of some of various sizes. 
“ Yours very truly, 
“ Friday. “ D. D. Cunningham. 
“ P.S.—It would be very interesting to know if the reaction 
was acid immediately after death.” 
Experiment No. 3. 
At 4.56 p.m. a Fowl, two-thirds grown, bitten in the thigh 
by the same Bungarus cceruleus; on this occasion the snake bit very 
