The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-01-11
long and narrow strilss called lobcs,
extenrling from tile main bag; or be.

Hong and narrow strils, called .lobcs,
| extending from tlle,nain bag, ol. be,
tin,,i,,g OF the duct, which runs
alnngsthe lower border Of the gland;
aid eacll;lobe giycsSnFf flobules, which
are again subdividedS into littie5cells.
where tho poison is first elalmi miated;or
t.stracteil FROM the blood thu. eircu.
|%lates over the cells iii lnyriads Of lit.
tie cal ilary channels. The whole
gland is surrounde,la 4byta kind Of
canvass bag, or uponcurosss, as tlic
anntomists. call sucIt, firm membranc,
aud this membrane is inyconnection
With the muscles, by whose coritrac-
tin tic several cells aud lobes of tile
gland are compressed aud rmPtied Of
their secretion. The pois,,n is con:
yeyctl ssthe duct to the basal aper-
ture nl tile canal in the fang; and !, as
the salivary sslan'ls in other animals
are inst active during particular
emnsi' ns- as. when they ale hungry.
b. the sight of faYoritc iood-so, the
rage which stimulates tho snake TO
use its. eivcnoncd deadly weapon,
doubtless excites an active secretion
AMI great distcnsi"n Of the poison
glands. The wound is inflicted by7a
blow rather than bv q bite: the loi
snn fanys whrn erected are struck
like daSgcrs into the j'art aimed at !:
and, as the actipn Of the comprcssing
muscles "f the bag is contemporaries
GUS with tho blow by. which the
woSnl is inflicted, the olson is at
the same nomentinjcctcd with force
Into the wound from the aricnl or
terminal outletof the perforated fang.
The poison acts with more Or less
speed aid effect according to the src.
cics Of SERPENT, the yigcur Of the iii.
.,livi'iual seipent. the season Of tho.
year, anil. als,,, the, TART wounded.
The subtle fluid mikes with the
hl"d, and is conveyed with tie RAJ
.pilitySof the circulation to the brain,
Ippn which its srecifc properties oTS
uTissa direct, ralsT-ro fiuerl
ivous action. M ,sonner does it be-
gil, to operate an5tl,e inlets If the
.Anses begin to close uprn the World;
the eyes a,c dimned. the GERS stop|f
ed. tile tongue ia'.ers; the torpid
brain then reacts upon tho heart,
whose firm pulsations arc reduced to.
;hc feeble tlutterin:s; the breath gets
sean,ier, the limbs grow cold, and
'lcath surervencs. it may be iii ten
inmates, il, half an hour, i'll an hour
-as III the case Of the recent acci.
'icnt-or a. a later cripl; the chan.
crs of recovery being III the ratio
'of the sldwnss Of the operation CT
the poison.
What is this strange anil subtle
fluid, one drop or less than drop
"f' which can qucl the force of the.
active hraih and nervous system Of
man ? To sight, smell, and taste,
it seems a mere harmless saliva.
Chemical ANALYST detects hit a lit.
tie mncns, mucl, water. and snme Of
the salts Of saliva; from which it
differs, mainly, III the slight rrcdom-
nance at an animal acid. There is
nothing in all this that could suggest,
beforehand. the specific properties of
the secretion. 1t is not poisonous
when taken into the stomach. The
readicst and perhaps the NEST eff
ciclt remedy, that Of sucking the
wound, may be performed With
scarcely any risk. This has been
known Of old 'Whoever,' writes
CELSIUS, twill suck the wound, will
be both safe hin,self and save the
sufferer" The only danger in swal-
lowing the venom of the virer, CO.
ira, or rattle snake, arises from
the possibility of some blister or scar,
OF any lrsi'n of the scarf-skin Of the
mouth. throat, or guilt, which might
allow tic ruisoI to enter the ciryula
ting blood.
The nervous system of a poison
snake is proolagainst the specific &C,
ton of its own lHiso,,, but not a.
gaiust that Of anut,cr species. Dr..
Patrick Russell, in his History of In.
dian Serpcnts, affirms that cobras
bite each other without ialal consc-
qucnces, bnt kill other snakes. The
larger and more formidable hamad,
ryas Of India prey upon Other ser.
pents; killing them by their enven.
oned bite and then swallowing
them. The naja, Of Africa, in like
manner kills and gorges the puRad,
der; and the rattle snake will strike
and slay the moccasin snake, and af.
tcrwardsA. seize and swallow it.
As to remedies ); when our own
species has been the subject Of ar.
tack, the first iidicationis to remoye'
tie .ill9cuiated vennm> either by sucs'
ytinii on excisiun7 Butthis, it, he eff,ecq