The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-29


A paper was lately read before the Boston Society
Of Natural History from DIR. w. J. Burnett, on the
character and habits OF the rattesnake The Doctor
had been experimenting on two or three specimens
OF this animal and announces the discovery of nu-
merous embryo poisonous fangs in the jaws Of the
snake Immediately behind the outward fangs. The
OF these hidden weapons Of destruction appears
to he to supply the place of the biting fangs OF the
serpent when they get broken off or worn out in
service. II also appears that the long fangs 1.-TWO in
number) which are used in infictng the deadly bite
OF the rattlesnake, are naturally shed every few
years, when they not injured by accident wear
and the reserve fangs are sufficiently numerous to
meet the worst emergencies From minute microsco
pcal examination Of the structure of these teeth Dr.
B. concludes that there two canals in each fang
only one of which conveys the poison to the wound.
Respecting the character Of the poison itself, the
Doctor remarks as 0llows -
There good reason to believe that its action is
the same upon all living things, vegetables as well
animals. 1t is even Just as fatal to the snake it.
self as to other animals, for Dr. bearing informed
me that of his specimens, after being irritated
and annoyed in its cage, in moving suddenly, acct
eentay struck one of its fangs into its own body:
it soon rolled over and died, as any other animal
would have done. Here, then, we have the re-
markable, and perhaps unique, physiological fact Of
liquid secreted directly from the blood, which
proves deadly when introduced into the very source
1.-THE bloody from which it was derived.
In order to scrtinize, by the aid of microscope,
the operation Of this deadly agent on the blood, Dr.
Burnett Supplied one of the iercest of his snakes by
dropping chloroform upon his head.
Twenty-Five or thirty drops being allowed to fall
on his head, slowly after the other, the sound
OF his rattle gradually died away, and in q few
minutes he was wholly under the agent. He was
then adroitly seized behind the jaws with the thumb
and finger, and dragged from the cage, and allowed
to partially resuscitate; in this state second per-
son held his tail to prevent his coiling around the
arm Of The first while third opened his mouth, and
with u pair of forceps pressed the fang upward,
causing flow of poison which was received on the
end OF the scalpel. The snake was then returned
into the cage.
Blood was then extracted from a finger for close
microscOpical examination. The smallest quantity
of the poison being presented to the blood between
the glasses, a change was Immediately perceived;
the corpuscles ceased to run and pile together and
remained stagnant without any special alteration Of
structure The whole appearance was as though the
vitality Of the blood had been suddenly destroyed,
exactly as in death from lightning. This agrees
also with another experiment performed on q fowl,
where the whole mass of the blood appeared quite
liquid and having little coagulable power.
Dr. Burnett is opinion that the physiological action
of the poison of rattlesnake in animals is that of
most powerful sedatve, acting through the blood
the nervous centres. He supports this position by
the remarkable fact, that its full and complete anti
dotes are the most active stimulants, and of the
alcohol Commonly in the form OF rum whiskey) is
the first This remedy is well known at the South,
and there are some twenty-five authentic cases on
record proving that person suffering from the bite
of rattesnake may drink from one to two quarts Of
clear brandy and eventually recover.-Hartford
Times.