The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-07-01

stances, About dark Saturday last, MS
! was walking up the hill from the bay
shore, felt II heavy scutiling about
one Of my legs, aud at the snme instant
the bites of sharp teeth. Reaching the
house saw by The light three several
little wounds with blood oXuding from
them on my leg, three inches above the
ankle. There We're two punctures TO
each wound made by the two iangs OF
the snake that had bit me. swelling
had already commentaries than five
minutes from the biting. Still | deter
mined to do nothing, for while at
least, In order 10 observe the effects OF
the poison unm0dliied by treatment
The swelling increased rapidly, aud in
fifteen minutes more the pain had be-
come cXcruclating, and | could not
bear any weight on the leg, was
obliged now TO lie down. | now took,
in Il wine glass OF water half tea
spoonful of saturated tincture OF iodine,
About fifteen minutes afterwards, !
repeated the iodine --about twenty
drops. a short time after perhaps
fifteen or twenty minutes, n third dose
of iodine--lfteen drops--in twenty
five or thirty minutes after the fourth.
The length of these several intervals Is
Gonjectural. ! had the orilices Of the
wounds several times touched with the
tincture of iodine, and the leg, which
was now swollen from the ankle to the
knee, wns painted with iodine.
The pain was eXcrucinting, but by
1890 or ii 0'clock-two and half or
three hours after the hite--had abated
sensibly. About 1850 in the morning ]
fell asleep, and awoke at sunrise with
complete stiffness and superficial sore
ness of the limb on touch, now swollen
to 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
morning, and being obliged TO have II
ut all times elevated. The foot partlcl-
pated in the swelling, and If the leg
hung down IL became (and indeed still
does in few minutes perfectly llVid.
The interest of the matterin question
lies in the use, the efficacy of iodine as
aremedy for venomous bites. Nothing
else than iodine was used; no spirits,
no hartshorn, not the least possible
thing in the world, internally or eXter-
nally, except iodine and one small
drink of water. Former experience
had given me confidence in iodine by
its use with others. ] was determined
to give it fair showing in my own
case, unaided and unrestricted by any
other mediation. | have attached the
greater interest to this case, because,
though one is seldom II safe judge in his
own case, the present bite has been by
long odds the severest snake bite ever
knew. If left to itself it would, in my
opinion, have been fatal in q very few
hours. That the snake was n very
large one, know from his heavy scuf-
fling about my legs, and, ] may add
from the depth to which felt his fangs
enter. My instantaneous suspicion
from the weight and severity Of The
biting, was that my assailant was &
wildcat, or some such animal. The eX
cruciating pain felt subsequently, al
before mentioned, seemed To me like
the ferocious cramps of the muscles ii
malignant cholera, except that they
We're not in any degree spasmodic.
There were other circumstances
symptoms which should detail We're
writing to ply stefan, but they woul'
only still further bore you. 10 Sc
forth truly the efficacy of iodine mus
excuse my length. do not know
what kind of snake it was, but suspect
it to have been arattlesnake.
Very truly, yours,
ASHBEL SMITH.