Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-08-24
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INTERESTING CHAPTER ON
SNAKES.

SNAk Els.
A paper was lately read before the Bos-
con Society Of Natural History, from DIR. "
j. Burnett, on the character and habits oil
abe rHttlesnake. The Doctor had been
experimenting on two or three specimens
at this animal, and announces the discove-
ry of numerous embryo poisonous fangs in
the jaws of the snake, Immediately behind
the outward fangs. The use of these hid
den weapons OF destruction appears TO be
to supply the place of the biting fang ofthe
serpent when they get broken off or worn
outin service. IL also appears that the long
fangs. 1.-TWO in number. which are used in
inficting the deadly bite of the rattle
snake, naturally shed every few years,
and the reserve fangs are sufficiently nu-
merous to meet the worst emergencies
From minute microscopical examination of
the structure of these teeth, DIR. B. con-
cludes that there are two canals in each
fang, only one of which conveys the pois-
on to the wound. Respecting the charac-
ter of the poison itself, the Doctor remarks
as follows:
There is good reason to believe that its
action is the same upon all living things,
vegetables as well as animals. 1t is even
Just as fatal to the snake itself as other
animals, for DR.. bearing informed me that
one of his specimens, after being irritated
aud annoyed in its cage, in moving sud
denly, accidently 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 hare the remarkable, and
perhaps unique. physiological fact of a
liquid secreted directly from tue blood,
which proves deadly when introduced into
the very SOURCE the blood from which it
was derived.
In order to scrutinize, by the aid of a
microscope, the operation of this deadly
agent on the blood, DR.. Burnett Supplied
one of the fercest of his snakes by drop
ping chIoroform on his head.
Twenty five or thirty drops being al
lowed to fall on his head, one slowly af-
ter the other, the sound of his rattle gra-
dually died away, aud in 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 resusci-
tate F.; in this state second person held
his tail to prevent his coilng around the
arm of the first, while the third opened
his mouth. and with pair of forceps pres
sed the fang upward, causing flow Of
poison which was received on the end of
scalpel. The snake was then returned in
TO 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,
= change was Immediately perceived ; the
corpuscles ceased to run and pile together,
and remained stagnant, without any speci-
nj alteration Of structure. The whole ap-
psarance was as though the vitality of the
blood had been suddenly destroyed ex-
actly as in death from lightning. This
agrees also with another experiment per-
formed on fowl, where the whole mass
of the blood appeared quite liquid, and ha-
wing little coaguable power.
DR.. Burnett is of opinion that the ply
Biological acti ON of the poison of n rattle
snake in animals is that of q most power
full sedative. acting through the blood on
the nervous centres. He supports this
position by the remarkable fact, that its
full and complete antidotes are the most
active stimulants, and of these alcohol
Commonly in the form of rum or WINS
Eey) 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 a rattlesnake may drink from one
TO two quarts of clear brandy and eventu-
ally recover.-Hurttord Times.