470 
Snake  Poisons. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\     Oct.  1, 1873. 
simus),  indigenous  to  this  country,  is  endowed  with  a  poison  even  more 
virulent  than  that  of  the  cobra  or  viper.  There  is  reason  for  belief 
that  its  action  is  the  same  upon  all  living  things,  vegetables  as  well 
as  animals.  It  is  even  fatal  to  the  snake  itself ;  and  we  find  it 
stated  that,  on  being  irritated  while  confined  in  a  cage,  the  animal 
has  been  known,  in  moving  suddenly,  to  strike  its  own  body,  and  to 
die  from  the  wound  as  quickly  as  would  any  other  creature.  A  re- 
markable physiological  fact  is  here  presented  of  a  liquid,  secreted 
directly  from  the  blood,  which  proves  deadly  when  introduced  into 
the  very  source  from  which  it  was  derived.  Serpent  poison  acting  as 
a  powerful  sedative,  active  stimulants  are  probably  the  best  antidotes. 
Hence,  in  parts  of  the  United  States  infested  with  venomous  reptiles, 
it  is  the  practice  to  administer  large  drafts  of  whisky,  or  to  chew  and 
swallow  tobacco.  The  liquor  stimulates  the  nervous  system  until  the 
depressing  effect  of  the  poison  is  overcome  by  natural  curative  action. 
Tincture  of  iodine  externally  applied  and  administered  by  hypo- 
dermic injection  into  the  cellular  tissue  near  the  wound  is  said  to  be 
of  considerable  efficacy,  and  in  advanced  cases  chloride  or  iodide  of 
potassium,  largely  diluted  with  water,  is  given  in  addition.  Sucking 
the  wound  immediately  after  being  struck  often  delays  the  spread  of 
the  poison.  The  negroes  in  the  South  favor  an  odd  remedy,  which 
consists  in  killing  a  chicken,  splitting  it  in  the  back,  and  bending  the 
warm  flesh  directly  over  the  bite.  They  believe  that  the  poison  at- 
tacks the  fow  l  in  preference  to  transfusing  itself  through  the  human 
body.  The  Mexicans  and  Indians  use  a  plant  which  they  call  golon- 
drinera,  which  Dr.  Torrey  on  examination  pronounced  a  species  of 
Euphorbium.  Botanically  it  is  known  as  E*  prostrata  ;  and  we  find 
it  described  as  a  plant  of  frail,  delicate  appearance,  somewhat  like 
the  gold  thread,  and  having  long,  reddish  stems  that  spread  and  in- 
terlace with  each  other.  Its  flowers,  which  appear  from  April  to 
November,  are  very  small  and  white,  with  dark  purple  throats. 
They  are  axillary,  and  have  four  petals  and  four  sepals.  All  parts 
of  the  plant  contain  an  abundance  of  milky  juice  in  which  the  medi- 
cinal properties  reside,  and  which  is  extracted  by  bruising  the  por- 
tions in  a  mortar.  A  considerable  quantity  of  water  is  added  and 
several  ounces  of  the  mixture  administered  to  the  injured  person. 
The  plant  grows  plentifully  in  dry  gravelly  places,  by  roadsides  and 
in  farm-yards.  The  remedy,  which  acts  as  an  emetic  and  cathartic, 
is  said  never  to  fail  in  a  cure  and  to  be  attended  with  no  danger  in 
its  administration. — Scientific  American,  July  19,  1873. 
