Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-08
NASHVILLE. TENN. WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1874,
A REMARKABLE ORDEAL.
How Texas Doctor Experimental
on HimseIf-IOying with Death for
the Sake Of Seienee-Iodine as n
Kennedy for snake Bites.
=. n.l...-- n.

REMEDY for Snake Bites.
New orlesns Times
We don't know that we have eve,
come across a more striking exampl,
Of this peculiar and admirable trait.
the genuine heightened medical prac
titioner's character and creed, than j:
set forth in the following letter, which
we find In a late number of the Hous
ton (1ez0s) Telegraph 1t is private
letter to Mr.. E. H, Gushing, a promi-
neht citizen Of Houston, formerly ed
itor and proprietor OF the Telegraph,
and well known in the years gone by to
the writer of these lines:
The letter is from the veteran DIR.
Ashbel Smith, one Of the oldest and
most distinguished citizens Of Texas; a
thorough physician and accomplished
scholar and gentleman, who has served
Texas, whilst republic and then as a
State, in various public and honorable
offices, with honor and distinction.
Having had the pleasure of knowing
DIR. Smith intimately, we can youch for
it that this letter was not written for
publication, and that the whole trying
ordeal, in which his life hung suspend
ed in the balance for hours, took place
Just as he describes it. DIR. Smiths
discovery, from his own personal ex-
perience, of the efficacy of iodine In
poison from a snake bite, viii Of course
be duly noted by physicians.
Ny Dear Sir: l CAM walk, but, with
help, have hobbled to the table. If l
improve reasonably IN hobbling by
Friday night, shall be at my post, in
your city, on Saturday. My lameness
would deserve but the shortest men,
ton but for some facts connected with
its cause, which may, perhaps, be Of in
terest to others IN similar eircum-
stances.
About dark Saturday last, as l was
walking up the hill from the bay shore,
l felt a heavy scufhing about one of my
legs, and at the same instant the bites
Of sharp teeth. Reaching the house /
saw by the light three several little
wounds, with blood exuding from them
on my leg, three inches above the ankle.
There were two punctures to each
wound, made by the two fangs of the
snake that had bit me. Swelling had
already commenced-less than five
minutes from the biting. Still l deter
mined to do nothing, for while at
least, In order to observe the effects of
the poison unmedifed by treatment.
The swelling increased rapidly, and in
fifteen minutes more the pain had be-
come excruciating, and could not bear
any weight on the leg. l was obliged
now to lie down.
/ now took, in a wine glass Of water,
a half teaspoonful of saturated tincturc
of iodine. About fifteen minutes after
wards, l repeated the iOdine-about
twenty drops. A short time after, per
haps fifteen or twenty minutes, a third |
dose Of iOdine-ffteen drops-in TWEEN
ty or thirty minutes after, the fourth.
The length of these several intervals is
cOnlectdral. ] had the orifces of the
wounds several times touched with the
tincture of iodine, and the leg, which
was now swollen from the ankle to the
knee, was painted with iodine.
The PAIN was excruciating, but by
1870 or IL O'elOek-two and a half or
three hours after the bite---had abated
sensibly. About I.3O In the morning l
fell asleep, and swOke at sunrise with
complete stiffness and superficial sore
ness of the limb on touch, now swollen !
10 double It's former size, but with no
pain worth mentioning. Nor have
since had any suffering further than
complete disease of the leg, till this
and being obliged to have 1t
at all times elevated. The foot partici-
pated in the swelling, and if the leg !
hung down /: became and indeed still |
does in a few minutes perfectly hEid. |
The interest of thematter IN question |
lies in the use, the efficacy of iodine as
a remedy for venemous bites. Nothing
else than iodine was used; no spirits, no
hartshorn, not the least possible thing
in the world, internally or externally,
except iodine and one small drink of
water.
Former experience had given me con-
idence iodine by its use with others. l
was determined to give it a fair show
ing IN my own case, unaided and unob-
structed by any other medication. /
have attached the greater interest TO
his case because, though one is seldom
4 safe Judge IN his own case, the pres
mt bite has been by long odds the
;everest snake bite / ever knew. If left
10 itself 1t would, In my opinion, have
been fatal IN very few hours. That
,he snake was a very large one,
know from his heavy scuffiing
about my legs, and, may add,
rom the depth to which felt his fangs
inter. My instantaneous suspicion,
rom the weight and severity of the
biting, was that my assailant was
Wildcat, or some such animal. The
pain felt subsequently, as
before mentioned, seemed to me HhG
he ferOcious cramps of the muscles in
Malignant cholera, except that they
we're not in any degree spasmodie.
There we're other circumstances,
which 1 should detail were /
writing to physician, but they would
My still further bore you. To set
orth truly the efficacy of iodine must
xcuse my length. l do notknow what
ind of snake it was. but suspect it to
ave been a rattlesnake. Very truly
ours, AsHBEL SMITH.