CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
241 
If no doctor is available, the antitoxin should now be in¬ 
jected by means of the hypodermic syringe, preferably under¬ 
neath the skin of the abdomen. After the wounds have been 
thoroughly bled and washed with the permanganate, the liga¬ 
ture may be removed, but not until every effort has been made 
to drain all the venom from the bitten part, by suction and 
massaging. These things being done, go to the nearest doctor. 
Grave symptoms beyond the power of laymen to combat may 
develop. 
If a doctor is out of the question, the wounds should be kept 
absolutely clean, as tissue that has been weakened by venom is 
very likely to develop blood poisoning. Small bits of gauze 
should be packed into the wounds to keep them open and 
draining, and over these should be laid a gauze dressing, kept 
wet with a good antiseptic solution. These dressings should 
be kept wet and the wounds opened for at least a week, no 
matter how well the vitcim may appear to be. 
The rubber ligature should be released entirely for one 
minute out of fifteen. If the swelling appears above the point 
where the ligature was first placed, then simply move the liga¬ 
ture up and secure it again, between the swollen part and the 
heart. Make new incisions in the swollen flesh and continue 
the massaging. Every ounce of blood that can be forced out 
of this swollen flesh increases the chance of recovery of the 
victim, since it contains venom, and should be kept from the 
body and the general circulation. 
A layman performing such operation as the occasion re¬ 
quires might accidentally sever a small artery, but this should 
not cause the victim to go into a panic. Should this happen it 
would be noticed immediately since the blood would flow in 
spurts, each spurt timed with the beat of the heart. To stop 
the flow of blood find some hard object and place it under the 
ligature just above where the spurting blood appears. 
Any person feeling the need of such first-aid kit should con¬ 
sult their family physician or druggist in making a selection of 
these items, and at the same time ask additional information 
on points not perfectly clear to them. It is stated on what 
appears to be good authority that only two victims out of one 
