The Tiffin tribune. [volume] (Tiffin, Ohio) 1848-1859, 1857-07-03
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Snakes are much abused snimals. AZ
supposed types Of the first deoeivor.
sort Of religious dread has ever attached
10 them, among Christian people, and
few OF the speeies being really venomous,
and others possessing imaginary attri.
buies. transcendiag the actual powora of
any Of the class, Il is not very woderfaf
that all The sons and daughters Of Eve
should inherit 2 hearty hatred bf snakes.
First--WhNt are the venomoui snakes2
In the United States we have the Rattle
suakes, Copperhesds, and Moccesins, No.
others--and. in fact, these ale no other
poisonous reptiles IN our country
The Mocoasin is southern species:
and so Is the great Diamond Raiilesnske
the worst Of the species The Cop
perhead Is a very bad snake; fortunately
quite rare now. Robert Kenuicott, who
is collecting specimens in the region of
Janesboro and Cairo. writes that he has
Just secured a genuine Copperhead in H.
linois. The Banded Rattlesuake is also
found in that Region, and he is not 70 bo
despised as his bite is really dangerous.
though rarely fatal 10 man.
But the snake about cures for whose
bite so much has been said in this paper
Is quite different ousiomer-not yssy
agreeable inmate Of ones house. (though
we have killed two found in ours. and
quite sufficiently venomous for the
snakes own purpose. Still, that our pFai-
rie Rationale has ever caused the death
Of single humSn being whether ''doc-
.iored" or not--we have yet to Learn.
And this brings us 10 tie second quess
ton. Is there any specific antidote for
snake poison. Possibly. But who knows
10? Not we; aud we studied medicine.
and believed in medicine for nearly thirty
years.
Cur 6rst experience with snake bites
was in the State pf Mississippi, whore
children, aud especially careless negroes.
were bitten by the "ground rattlosnaKe"
IA small specimen Of CroiolopAorus,
much like ours Of the western prairies.
We do not remember a case Of bite from
any other species; nor do We know Of =
death from snake bite, there, or IN the
State Of Louisiana, where we tarried sew
eral years. N
Since then, residence Of O76t twenty
one years in lllinois-.with as extensive 4
country practice as any other physician
and in a region and during time wherc
aud when rattlesnakes abounded, no dea b
from their bite has, ever come to our
knowledge. That is, no death Of man,
woman, or ohild--a few small animals.
usually bitten in the nose, have died; and
deaths among large animals have been
reported b Us, but we never saw a case
ofhuman subjects,wS have trestedmany
cases, and known many that had no
treatment at all, or were treated in all
ways and the result was always the same
all recovered; though some suffered
horribly for little while.
We have but word to add to this
hasty dissertation on snakes. Lot every
farmer hearip mind that the whole tribe
of serpents are In cot daters and the ben.
efaotors of their human prosecutors. Rip
up the stomach Of one. and you will find
i stuffed with in ects, OF enlarged BY the
bodies OF meadow mice Except in kill
ling an occasional bird or frog, nearly al
of our snakes are as useful TO vegetation
as they are harmless to mankind; and il
not only an act OF western barbarity
but a species Of suicidal FOLLY 10 destroy
them Far better aid in determining the
species and their dissemination, rs urged
in the circular issWed by Robert Ken
uicott, and show that you are above III,
vulgar preju ije against those persecutec
creations Of the Great Author Of all ami
NAL life, who made nothing without al
object. and made these for our good
Prairie Farmer.