Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-05-26
MAY 26, 1853.
0bc Dailp birsiniau.
Chnnter ON Snnkes.

Chapter On Snakes.
A paper was lately read before the Boston
Society of Natural History, from DIR. w. j.
Burnett. on the character of the ,attlesnake.-
The doctor had been experimenting on two or
three specimens OF this anlma and announces
the discovery of numerous embryo poison iangs
in the avs Of the snake. Immediately behind
the outward iangs. The use of these hidden
weapons of destruction appears 10 be 10 sup
ply the place of the biting iangs of the serpent
when they get broken off or worn ou, In SCR
vice. II also appears that the long fangs two
in numbcr) which are used in infilcting the
deadly bite of the rattle-snake are naturally
shed every few years, when they are rot injur
cd by accident or wear, and the reserve iangs
are sufficiently numerous 10 meet the worst e.
Emergencies From minute microscopic exam
nation OF the structure of these teeth, DIR. B
concludes that there are two canals in each
fang, only one of which conveys the poison to
the wound. Respecting tho character of the
poison itself, the doctor remarks as follows;
There is good reason for tho belief that it's
action is the same upon all living things, veg
ctables as well as animals. 1t is even just as
fatal TO the snake itself, to other animals for
DIR. Dearing informed me that one of his speci
mems, after being irrtated and annoyed in its
cage. 10 moving suddenly. accidentally struck
one OF his fangs into his own body; 1t soon rol
led over and died, as any other animal would
have done. Here then, we have tho remarka-
Bile. and perhaps unique philosophical fact, of
a liquid secreted directly from the blood which
proves deadly when introduced into the very
source (the bloody from which it was derlved!"
In order to scrutinlze by the aid Of the mi
crs scope the operation ofthis deadly agent on
tho blood, Dr. Burnett stupefed ono of the
6ercest of his snakes by dropping chloroform
upon his head:
"Twen,y five or thirty drops being allow.
ed 10 fall on his head. one slowly after the 9th.
erthe sound of his rattles gradually died away
and in a few minutes he was wholly under this
agent. He was then adroitly seized behind
the Jaws with the thumb and fore-fnger, and
dragged from the cage and allowed to partial.
ly resuscatcn this state second person held
his tail to prevent his coiling around tho arm
of the first, while n third opened his mouth and
" th pair of lorceps pressed the lang upward
causing flow of poison which was received
on the end ofthe sculpel. The snake was then
returned into the cage.
"Blood was then extracted from n finger, for
close nicroscopical examination. The small.
est quantity ofthe poison being presented to
the blood between the glasses, change was
Immediately perceived the corpuscles ceas
cd to run and pile together,and remained stag
nant without any special alienation of struc
ture. The wholeappearance was as though the
vitality Of the blood had been suddenly des
troyed, exactly as in death from lightning
This agrees also with another experiment per
formed on a fowl, where the whole mass of
the blood appeared quite liquid, and having
little coagulable power"
DIR. Burnett is ofthe opinion that the physl-
illogical action of the poison OF the rattlesnake
in animals is that OF a most powerful sedative
acting through the blood on the nervous cen
tres He supports this position by the remar
kable fact that ns full and complete ahtidotes
al the most active stimulants; and OF these al
cohol Commonly in the form of rum or wbis
key 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 rattlesnake may
drink from one to two quarts Of clear brandy
without feeling the slightest tendency 10 intox-
ication,and eventually recovcr.-Har5ford
TImss