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666 
The wound, which was at first red, be- 
coines livid, black, and gangrenous; the 
skin of the wounded limb, and sometimes 
of the whole body, takes a yellow hue; 
cold sweats and convulsions come on; 
and the patient sinks sometimes in a few 
hours, but commonly at the end of two, 
three, or four days. 
This is the usual progress when the dis- 
ease terminates fatally; but happily the 
patient will most commonly recover; a 
reflection which should moderate the 
fears of those who happen to be bitten 
by snakes; and which, at any ‘rate, 
should, as much as possible, be resisted, 
as the depressing passion of fear will 
in all cases assist the operation of the 
poison. 
With respect to the manner in which 
the poison acts upon the human body, it 
must be allowed, that this is a very inter- 
esting question; a great variety of opi- 
nions have arisen, and hardly any subject 
as less understood. 
Late physicians, supported by the re- 
spectable authority of Dr. Mead, observ- 
ing how suddenly death ensues after the 
bite, have concluded that the venom 
must act through the medium of the 
nerves only. 
But the celebrated Fontana has com- 
bated this doctrine, by demonstrating, 
from a variety of experiments on diffe- 
rent animals, that the venom of the viper 
1S perfectly innocent, when applied to the 
nerves enly; that it produces in them no 
sensible clange, and they are incapable 
of conveying the poison to the animal, 
Qn the other hatd, he has shewn dis- 
tanctly, that it acts linmediately upon the 
blood; and through the medium of this 
fluid, it destroys the irrithjlity of the 
snuscular fibres, and produces death, 
After some observations on the nature 
of the blood and atmespherical air, Mr. 
B. advances a conjecture, that the poison 
of serpents acts upon the blood, by at- 
tracting the oxygen, which it receives from 
the air in its passage through the lungs, 
and upon which its vitality depends. 
In support of this opinion he adduces 
the following arguments: 1. Man and 
other warm-blooded animals, exposed to 
an atmospheric air deprived of oxygen, 
quickly expire. The posion of aserpent, 
when introduced into the blood, also 
causes death; but carried into the circu- 
lation by a wound, and in very small 
quantity, its operation is comparatively 
slow. 
2. The appearances on dissection, in 
both cases are very similar; the blood be- 
Journal of a Voyage in the Indian Seas. 
comes of a darker hue, and coagulates 
about the heart and larger vessels; the 
irritability of the fibres is destroyed in 
both cases, and the body has a strong 
tendency to putrefaction. 
Mr. B. observes, that the venom of sere 
pents has a much greater effect on warm, 
than cold-blooded animals: the reason of 
which he supposes to be this: “* that cold- 
blooded animals do not require so largea 
proportion of oxygen, to preserve them 
in health, as warm-bluoded animats do.” 
After enumerating the variety of opi- 
nions, and various remedies in use among 
the older physicians, he proceeds to take 
notice of the modern remedies; and first 
of the volatile alkali. 
This 1s the remedy most commonly 
used by physicians, both here and in Eu- 
rope. But the belief which formerly pre- 
vailed, that it possessed some specific 
power, which corrected the poison, seems 
now exploded. It seems to have no 
other effect than that of being a stimu- 
lus. 
A ligature should as soon as possible be 
tied above the bitten part, so as to Im- 
pede, but not entirely to stop the circula- 
tion of the blood; for the bite of a ser- 
pent is for the most part superficial, and 
the peison is carried into the -circulation 
by the smaller vessels on the surface. 
The wound should next be scarified and 
washed with a solution of lunar caustic 
in water. 1 would prefer for this pur- 
pose a weak solution; as it may be used 
more freely, and frequently repeated: 
the same medicine should likewise be 
given internally, and repeated at inter- 
vals, as circumstances may point out. _ 
i know, from experience, that half a 
grain of lunar caustic, dissolved in two 
ounces of water, may be taken two or 
three times a day, and its use be persisted 
in for several days with safety. To these 
means might be added Gf the symptoms 
are not relieved), a warm bath, acidulated 
with nitrous acid. In this bath, which 
should be made sufficienty strong to pro- 
duce a very sensible irritation on the 
skin, the wounded limb, and a great part 
of the body, might be placed for half an 
hour, and repeated as circumstances 
might direct. 
Having procured a snake, a large cobra 
de capello, with the venomous teeth and 
poison-bag: entire, the following experi- 
ments were made; 
1. The snake was made to bite a young 
dog in the hind Jeg, and for which no me- 
dicine, either, internal or external, was 
made use of. The dog upon being bit 
howled 
