350 
STREAM 
AUGUST, 1917 
FOREST AND 
THE SENSIBLE CURE OF SNAKE BITES 
TOO HEROIC TREATMENT, AND OVER-CONFIDENCE IN BOLD JOHN BARLEYCORN 
ARE TO BLAME FOR AS MANY FATALITIES PROBABLY AS THE DEADLY VENOM 
T HE fear of snake bites has often 
marred what otherwise would have 
been an enjoyable outing. And even 
the author confesses a certain respect that 
verges on timidity in the presence of His 
Royal Highness the Rattler. However, 
like many other residents of the wilds, 
the rattlesnake and his poisonous congers 
have been malinged. 
Wantonly and with malice aforethought, 
the rattlesnake will not strike. Almost 
always he “rings the bell” in ample time 
to avoid undue proximity. During the sea¬ 
son when he is discarding his old skin for 
a new suit, he is sluggish, partially blind, 
and liable to strike with little or no warn¬ 
ing. And after a hearty meal he is less 
prone to flee from a disturber. Yet, as a 
rule, all wild things avoid contact with 
their arch enemy, man. And poisonous 
snakes are no exception to the rule. 
But granted that one is in snake coun¬ 
try, and has had the misfortune to have 
been bitten. 
First, kill the snake if possible. 
If the snake has rattles, of course he is 
poisonous. Anyway, examine his mouth 
for fangs. 
All venomous snakes have teeth designed 
by Nature expressly to inject venom. 
A VENOMOUS SNAKE’S HEAD 
The teeth, designed expressly to in¬ 
ject venom, are normally folded back 
under the reptile’s upper lip. 
These specialized teeth normally are folded 
back under the reptile’s upper lip. When 
he is aroused to anger, he brings the fangs 
into a position at right angles with his 
upper jaw, by exerting muscles provided 
for that purpose. When he strikes—he 
does not bite—the poison, which is con¬ 
tained in sacks at the base of his fangs, 
is injected into the victim’s flesh much as 
a physician injects a patient with a hypo¬ 
dermic syringe. A knife-blade or tooth¬ 
pick is sufficient to pry down the poison- 
injecting teeth. The latter are very deli¬ 
cate, being long, curved and hollow. 
And if he has no fangs, the snake is not 
poisonous. 
After years of careful observation and 
painstaking inquiry, during which no evi¬ 
dence at all questionable has been consid¬ 
ered, the writer has become convinced that 
fully as many people are killed by fright or 
By R. M. NILES, M. D. 
improper treatment of snake bites, as die 
from actual effects of a bite itself. 
Being reasonably certain then that a dan¬ 
gerous snake has inflicted a wound:— 
1. At once enlarge the wound so that 
free bleeding takes place. 
2. Tie a cord—shoestring, handkerchief, 
fishline, or strip of clothing—loosely be¬ 
tween the bite and the body. 
3 - Place a stick in the loop, and twist 
the cord tightly about the part. If the 
wound is on the hand or foot, two or more 
cords may be used. 
It is important to tie the cord loosely 
and twist it with a stick, rather than to try 
and tie it tightly about the part, because 
the pressure can be controlled much better 
by the former method. And circulation 
must not be completely arrested for any 
considerable time, or gangrene may set in. 
Here, again, much damage is frequently 
done by too heroic treatment. 
The idea of litigating the part is to make 
the poison enter the system slowly, so that 
the patient will not be overwhelmed by an 
immense quantity flooding the circulation 
at once. By alternately tightening and 
loosening the ligature, the poison is allowed 
to reach the vital centers gradually. And 
giv en enough time, under ordinary cir¬ 
cumstances the system itself is able to cope 
with such poison successfully. 
Whiskey has long been advocated as the 
true specific for snake bites.-“One poison 
kills the other,” an old hunter once in¬ 
formed me. 
Emphatically, this is not so. 
. D° c tor Lane, of Las Cruces, New Mex¬ 
ico, informs me that in his experience whis- 
e y ias proven itself worthless, except in 
moderate doses as a cardiac tonic. Snake 
venom depresses the heart. Alcohol in 
small or medium doses is a heart stimu- 
lant But large doses of alcohol depress 
the heart and are detrimental. 
M ENICANS say that if you eat the 
snake that bites you, its poison will 
. b e neutralized. The writer once saw a 
Mexican boy who reached into a hole after 
a wounded rabbit. But instead of the 
rabbit, he brought out a little rattler fast 
to his thumb. The boy’s companion ligated 
the arm, sucked out the wound, and they 
started for home. According to tradition, 
the victim commenced to masticate the rep¬ 
tile as soon as it was dispatched. H e had 
abont three miles to travel, and when he 
arrived at the doctor’s office the snake 
looked like a badly abused carpet rag. 
The wound was opened and allowed to 
bleed freely, then washed out with a solu¬ 
tion of potassium permanganate and 
dressed with gauze wet with the same 
liquid. A prompt recovery, without un¬ 
toward symptoms, was the result. 
. Doubtless horror often has a very det¬ 
rimental effect on the victim of a snake 
bite. Fright has a depressing action upon 
the entire system, and much of the good 
attributed to alcoholics in such cases has 
probably been due to the courage—or ob¬ 
livion—inspired by bold John Barleycorn. 
Bromides and opiates are really of more 
value for such purposes than alcohol. 
TOURNIQUET FOR A WRIST BITE 
Tie a cord—a shoestring or strip of 
clothing will do—loosely between the 
bite and the body. Place a stick in 
the loop, and twist the cord tightly 
about the part. 
However, the writer admits he would not 
refuse a nip of old Bourbon if bitten by 
a rattler and if the snake were big he 
might be persuaded to take a second one. 
Snake venom is harmless unless intro¬ 
duced into the circulation. One may swal¬ 
low it with impunity. Hence there is no 
danger to a comrade of a snakebite victim 
who sucks out the bite, provided his lips 
and gums are sound. A cracked lip or 
sore gum might offer a port of entry into 
the circulation, and cause trouble. 
Remedies for snake bites are so numer¬ 
ous, and have so many well attested cures 
to their credit, that after years spent in 
their investigation, in which he has found 
most of them inert or but mildly effective, 
the writer has come to the conclusion that 
snake bites are nowhere near as dangerous 
as many believe them to be. 
An old guide and hunter, who had cap¬ 
tured so many rattlers that he was known 
as Rattle Snake Pete,” informed me that 
he had several times cured himself of 
their bite by simply sucking out the wound 
and applying a poultice of swamp mud. 
Another local celebrity, who had the repu¬ 
tation of. being a “snake doctor,” and 
never losing a case—when called soon 
enough always gathered his remedy on his 
way to see the patient. After his death his 
son published the remedy in a local paper. 
His specific was composed of bruised 
leaves of the common plantin (plantago 
major) applied freely and frequently. 
Calmette, of Paris, has devised a serum 
similar to that used in diphtheria, which he 
calls anti-venine.” It is made by inject¬ 
ing animals with increasing doses of venom, 
until they become immune to very large 
doses of it. A protective agent is mean¬ 
while developed in the blood of the animal 
treated. Calmette’s serum has been used 
with marked advantage in India, for treat- 
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 373) 
