THE ORDER OF SNAKES— OPHIDIA. 
15 
aid—and is perhaps without even water or a knife. The whole treatment 
then resolves itself into this :— Suck the wound, if possible at once ; apply 
a ligature ; lacerate the punctures, and wash the part with water or urine ; 
keep moving, and do not despond. Half the number of fatal cases have 
resulted from fear, many persons having died simply because they lost 
heart, did not attempt to tie a ligature, or were afraid to lacerate the 
wound and suck it. There is generally no lack of courage in the inhabi¬ 
tants of the Australian bush, but it runs in the wrong channel, and often 
shows itself in chopping off the wounded toe or finger—a very foolish 
and a very dangerous thing to do. 
Prophets are seldom believed in their own country—let us see 
therefore what is recommended by Dr. Gunther, P.Xt.S., the best known 
and the ablest of living herpetologists:— 
“ In ninety-nine out of a hundred cases, the wounds are inflicted 
on the hands or feet, and a ligature or two should be made, as tight as 
possible, at a short distance above the wound; the ligature to be left on until 
the proper means are provided to destroy the virus in the wound, and until 
medicine is taken internally, or until great pain or swelling necessitates 
its removal. The punctured wounds are to be enlarged by incisions at 
least as deep as the wounds, to cause a free efflux of the poisoned blood, 
and to facilitate its removal by sucking. The wounds to be sucked by the 
patient himself, or by another person whose mouth is free from wounds. 
Cupping-glasses will be found very useful. Ammonia should be rubbed 
into the wound, and be taken in large doses internally, from one to three 
wine-glasses of the eau de luce, or from one to six glasses of brandy 
at short intervals.” And the learned Doctor thus concludes :—“ In all 
accidents caused by bites of snakes, the action of tbe heart is much 
affected; its contractions become feeble, the respiration difficult, and the 
patient feels great anguish, or sinks into a fainting state. To prevent 
a complete collapse it is necessary to use these strong excitants, and to 
repeat them until the alarming symptoms are allayed. It would be a 
great risk in such a case to trust to the remedies of a snake charmer.” 
In arguing about the value of certain remedies in cases of snake 
poisoning, it must not be forgotten that very few persons are able to 
classify these reptiles, and that when treatment has proved successful, 
there has not always been sufficient evidence to shew that the reptile 
