7
The bearing, however, which these results have on the problem of the therapeu-
tics of cases of snake-bite, is very evident and need not further be discussed.
The difficulties which I have pointed out at the beginning of this paper are
actual and real difficulties. Much accurate, careful, and tedious work will be
required to surmount them. I have already roughly indicated the directions
in which this work must and probably will proceed.
The theoretical importance of these results is also evident. These obser-
vations certainly prove that Martin's hypothesis (quoted above), as regards the
poisonous proteid constituents of snake venoms, is an incorrect hypothesis. This
theory has in short now received its death blow. For it does not explain the
different effects which follow the inoculation of the several poisons. It is evident
that we shall now have to consider each variety of snake venom separately, and
not draw any conclusions from observations made with one venom as to the
action of the venom of even a closely allied species. In the present state of our
knowledge we must regard the poisonous constituents of all snake venoms to be
different from one another. Further research, however, may show that this
extreme view can be somewhat modified.
In a recent paper 1 3
o n t h e p r e c i p i t i n o f c o b r a v e n o m I b r o u g h t f o r w a r d
evidence which pointed to the fact that the proteid constituents of snake venoms
are by no means identical. For it was there shown that the serum of a rabbit
treated with the proteids of cobra venom caused a precipitum with cobra venom,
and not with the poisons of several other species of snakes. I also showed in
this publication that the precipitin prepared with cobra venom caused a
precipitum with daboia venom, and that little or no difference was found between this
reaction with cobra venom and that with daboia venom. The difference, in fact,
was so slight that the conclusion arrived at, granted, as is generally granted,
that this serum precipitin test for proteids is relatively specific, was that the pro-
teids of cobra venom and of daboia venom are probably identical, or, at any rate
have the same " haptophoric " group. Now, I have already stated that I have
shown that in its physiological action cobra venom differs in every essential from
daboia poison, a fact which is supported by the observation that a serum, viz.,
Calmette's serum, active for cobra venom, is quite inactive for daboia venom.
When we consider, then, that the proteids of cobra venom and of daboia venom
are probably alike, and that the poisonous constituents of these two poisons are
quite different in their mode of action and are not rendered inactive by the same
immune serum, we are almost led to conclude that the poisonous constituents of
these two venoms, and therefore probably of all snake venoms, are not of a pro-
teid nature. Such a conclusion is, I know, in direct opposition to the opinion of
all workers on this subject, to whom, however, the considerations I have stated
above were not until recently available. In spite of this generally accepted view,
I venture to think that further research will be able to separate the proteid con-
stituents from the poisonous elements of snake venoms. Such a research is at
present in progress in this laboratory.