SNAKE  POISON  AND  ITS  ANTIDOTE. 
453 
law  in  therapeutics  that  ail  animal  poisons  have  their  specific 
antidotes  in  the  gall  of  the  animal  or  reptile  in  which  these  poi- 
sons exist." 
The  bite  of  the  cobra,  or  of  any  other  poisonous  snake  or  rep- 
tile, can  be  cured  by  administering  a  few  drops  of  a  preparation 
of  the  gall  of  the  cobra,  which  should  be  prepared  as  follows  : 
Pure  spirits  of  wine,  or  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  or  the  best  high 
wines  that  can  be  procured,  200  drops ;  of  the  pure  gall,  20 
drops ;  in  a  clean  two-ounce  phial,  corked  with  a  new  cOrk  ;  give 
the  phial  150  or  200  shakes,  so  that  the  gall  may  be  thoroughly 
mixed  with  the  spirits,  and  the  preparation  is  ready  for  use.  In 
case  of  a  bite  put  five  drops  (no  more)  of  the  preparation  into 
half  a  tumblerful  of  pure  water  ;  pour  the  water  from  one  tum- 
bler into  another,  backwards  and  forwards  several  times,  that 
the  preparation  may  be  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  water,  and 
administer  a  large  tablespoonful  of  the  mixture  every  three  or 
five  minutes  until  the  whole  has  been  given.  In  case  the  violence 
of  the  pain  and  hasmorrhage  or  swelling  of  the  bitten  part  should 
be  but  slightly  alleviated  after  the  whole  has  been  taken,  repeat 
the  dose,  prepared  with  the  same  quantity  of  the  preparation  in 
the  same  way,  and  administer  as  before.  In  curing  upwards  of 
fifty  cases  of  snake  bites  I  have  never  been  obliged  to  repeat  the 
dose  except  in  two  instances,  and  have  never  lost  a  case.  The 
cobra  poison  is  no  more  deadly  than  that  of  a  great  variety  of 
snaikes  found  in  South  America,  of  which  may  be  named  the 
Oaseabel,  or  Rattlesnake  ;  Boqui-dorada,  or  gilded  mouth  ;  Ma- 
pana-sapo,  or  frog-headed  Mapana;  Mapana-fina,  or  Lachesis^ 
Niger,  Birri,  and  Verrugosa,  or  wart  snake.  The  poison  of  all 
these  varieties  produces  death  (under  certain  conditions — atmos- 
pherical, physical,  climaterical,  and  electrical)  in  from  fifteen 
minutes  to  two  or  three  hours ;  but  it  is  found  that  the  gall  of 
each  variety  (administered  as  previously  indicated)  is  the  perfect 
antidote  for  its  own  poison.  The  gall  of  the  most  deadly  kind 
may  be  used  in  cases  of  bites  of  those  less  virulent,  and  is  also 
applicable  in  cases  of  bites  of  the  centipede,  scorpion,  stingray, 
star- lizard,  or  Lacerta  Stella,  and  is  also  very  effective  in  dog- 
bites.  The  native  curers  use  a  tincture  of  a  plant  called  Alcon- 
citO)  or  solobasta,  for  bites  of  the  Cascabel  and  Boqui-dorada, 
