EXPERIMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF SNAKE-POISON. 
163 
Experiment No. 10. 
At 11.50 a.m., hypodermically injected into a small Pariah 
Dog’s thigh two grains of Cobra poison. 12.45 p.m. —Much 
affected. 1 p.m. —Convulsed. Life was prolonged for eight 
hours and a half by artificial respiration. 
Experiment No. 11. 
At 1.3 p.m., hypodermically injected one grain of Cobra 
poison into the thigh of a large Dog. 4.2 p.m— Much affected. 
5.5 p.m. —Convulsed. 7.30 p.m. —Dead—in six hours twenty- 
seven minutes. 
Experiment No. 12. 
At 1.9 p.m., hypodermically injected half a grain of Cobra 
poison into the thigh of a middling-sized Dog. 3.32 p.m.—■ 
Much affected. 4.50 p.m. —Dead—in three hours forty-one 
minutes. 
Experiment No. 13. 
At 1.15 p.m., hypodermically injected a quarter of a grain of 
Cobra poison into the thigh of a small Dog. 4.32 p.m, —Much 
affected. 5.5 p.m. —Dead—in three hours fifty minutes. 
Experiment No. 14. 
At 1.30 p.m., hypodermically injected a quarter of a grain of 
Cobra poison into the thigh of a small Pariah Dog. 3.53 p.m.— 
Much affected. 4.55 p.m. —Dead—in three hours twenty-five 
minutes. 
Experiment No. 15. 
Friday.—Hypodermically injected one-eighth of a grain of 
Cobra poison into the thigh of a half-grown Pariah Dog at 
1.32 p.m. 2.48 p.m. —Appears affected slightly. Saturday, 
2.10 a.m. —Vomiting. 7.20 a.m. —Convulsed. 10 a.m. — 
Appears to he in much pain. 11.38 a.m. —Vomiting blood. 
7 p.m. —Very weak; has taken food. Sunday, 7 a.m. —Seems 
pretty well. Ultimately recovered. 
The above experiment shows that serious symptoms may 
arise, and yet the animal ultimately recover. 
Experiment No. 16. 
A middling-sized though full-grown Dog had a quarter of a 
grain of Cobra poison injected into its thigh at 1.48 p.m. 
2.48 p.m. —Seems slightly affected. This animal did not become 
much affected, and ultimately recovered. 
Experiment No. 17. 
Friday, 2.15 p.m. —Hypodermically injected one grain of 
Daboia poison into the thigh of a large Dog. Saturday.— 
Appears drowsy, hut not much affected. The leg is enor¬ 
mously swollen and partially paralysed. This animal re¬ 
covered. 
It has generally been supposed that the severe local symp¬ 
toms in a Viper bite, compared with those in a colubrine snake¬ 
bite, are due more particularly to the enormous fangs of the 
Viper. This experiment, however, though not conclusive, 
would make it appear that the Viper poison—though, quantity 
for quantity, less fatal than the Cobra poison—is infinitely 
more irritating. 
Experiment No. 18. 
Tuesday, 5.8 p.m. —Injected three-quarters of a grain of 
Cobra poison into the thigh of a large Dog (that used in Experi¬ 
ment 17). Wednesday, 3.45 a.m. —Much affected. 6.20 a.m.— 
Convulsed. 7 a.m.— Dead — in twelve hours and eight minutes. 
This experiment shows that three-quarters of a grain of 
Cobra poison is infinitely stronger than one grain of Daboia 
poison. 
Experiment No. 19. 
Injected a quarter of a grain of Cobra poison into the thigh 
of a half-grown Dog (that used in Experiment 15) at 5.22 p.m. 
on Tuesday. Wednesday, 7 p.m. —Much affected. 8 p.m. — 
Insensible. 9.35 p.m. —Dead—in fourteen hours and fifty-seven 
minutes. 
Experiment No. 20. 
Tuesday, 5.32 p.m.— Hypodermically injected a quarter of a 
grain of Cobra poison into the thigh of a half-grown Pariah 
Dog (this animal had been recently used). Wednesday, 3.30 
a.m. —Much affected. 7.55 a.m.' —Convulsions. 8.55 a.m. — 
Dead—in fourteen hours and twenty-seven minutes. 
Experiment No. 21. 
Hypodermically injected two grains and a half of Cobra 
poison into the thigh of an old Cow at 9.7 a.m. 11 a.m. — 
Appears to be affected. 2.42 p.m. —Salivated, and is standing 
up with its neck extended. 3.20 p.m. —Fell over and became 
convulsed. 4 p.m. —Dead — in seven hours and seven minutes. 
Experiment No. 22. 
Hypodermically injected one grain of Cobra poison into an 
old Cow at 9.12 a.m. 2.42 p.m. —Unaffected, and is grazing. 
4 p.m.— Unaffected. This animal was only slightly affected at 
3 a.m. the next morning, and ultimately recovered. 
Experiment No. 23. 
Hypodermically injected one grain and a half of Daboia 
poison into the thigh of a large Pariah Dog at 11.52 a.m. 
Monday. 6 p.m. —Much affected. Tuesday, 3 a.m. —Dead—in 
fifteen hours and eight minutes. 
Experiment No. 24. 
Injected half a grain of Cobra poison into a small Fowl at 
10.35 a.m. Convulsed at 10.40 a.m. 10.55 a.m.— Dead—in 
twenty minutes. 
Experiment No. 25. 
Injected one-sixteenth of a grain of Cobra poison into a 
middling-sized Fowl at 10.40 a.m. 10.46 a.m. —Slightly con¬ 
vulsed. 11.25 a.m. —Dead—in forty-five minutes. This bird 
suffered very much from convulsions. 
Experiment No. 26. 
Injected one-tliirty-second part of a grain of Cobra poison 
into a good-sized Fowl at 10.43 a.m. 11.55 a.m.— Much 
affected. 1.30 p.m. —Convulsed. 2.50 p.m. —Dead—in four 
hours seven minutes. This Fowl also suffered much from 
convulsions. 
Experiment No. 27. 
Injected one-sixteenth of a grain of Daboia poison into the 
thigh of a Fowl at 2.18 p.m. 2.22 p.m. —Much convulsed. 
2.23 p.m. —Dead—in five minutes. This is wonderfully quick, 
but the bird was suffering from chicken-pox. 
Experiment No. 28. 
Injected one-sixteenth part of a grain of the same poison 
into a small Fowl at 2.33 p.m. on Monday. Tuesday, 2.37 a.m. — 
Is evidently affected. Continued in the same state until 
Tuesday at 4.30 p.m., when it died, in twenty-five hours and 
fifty-seven minutes. 
Experiment No. 29. 
Injected one-thirty-second part of a grain of Daboia poison 
into a Fowl at 2.19 p.m. on Monday. 2.47 p.m. —Is affected. 
Noon, Tuesday.—Dead—in nine hours and forty-one minutes. 
Mr. Richards adds :—“ There are several interesting and im¬ 
portant conclusions to be drawn from the foregoing experi¬ 
ments. The poison, when first taken from the Cobra, weighs 
on an average about thirteen grains, and this, again, on drying 
usually weighs five grains. At one bite a fresh Cobra would 
probably inject what would represent, if dried, five or six 
grains of poison, but it may inject no more than one grain, or 
