The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-10-03
THE CH1LDLlKE aAqTLEsNAKE.
An EGor, Making Co Ut4ltzs gis Pevors fol
tho Preservation or z.iEv.
From The Chicago Trmes.

Yesterday Ttmss reporter met Prof
u r. Piper, and the conversation natu.
rs,ly drifting around to microscopy, the
Professor mentioned the fact that he was
abou. to begin microscopial investiga-
ton into the effect of rattlesnake poison
in the blood Of various animals. He
was asked to give SOME information re-
garding the serpent, aud at once COM
piled.
DR.. Piper's first remark was the rather
appalling one that $4,000 people die in
India annually from snake bites, not in
cludipg the victims of the reptile that
stingeth like an adder and lurketh in
mems boots. In this country, 90 far as
regards remedies, and the operation of
the poison on the system, SO far as it can
be done without the microscope, the sub
ject has already been carefully investiga-
ted. Recently, it is said that this instru-
ment has been brought in TO aid such
Investigations, and important discoveries
have been made. The results of poison
ing are not manifest until the poison has
reached the osterial capillary system.
Strychnine and prussic acid applied di-
rectly to the brain, spinal marrow or
nerves, produce little if any effect
Hence, it follows that if the poison be
retarded from entering into the circula-
tory system, the results will be retarded
in exactly the same ratio. This is claimed
as having been demonstrated, but if it
was true how were we to account for the
production of death instantaneously by
the application Of concentrated prllssic
acid to the tongue.
In DR.. Farrer's experiments with the
cobra di capello, he found the fowls bit
ten by the serpent in the leg or wing
were cured by the immediate removal Of
the bitten part. A dog, bitten in the
fold of the skin raised for the purpose.
escaped by having the part Immediately
excised by clean sweep of the scalpel.
But it was found that however tightly a
ligature might be drawn, it only retarded
the action of the subtle agent. In the
case Of fowl bitten by the cobra, when
the ligature was drawn around the limb
with the full strength of 1. man, the ami
mai died in iorty-four minutes.
The poison of the cobra does not ap-
pear to operate more rapidly than that
of the rattlesnske. In DR.. Macbeth's
experiments on fowls he fonnd that the
interval between the bite and the symp-
toms III, from nine to fifteen minutes !;
in dogs, rrom sixty-eight to one hundred
and thirty minutes. In the experiments
made by Drs. Taylor and Pavy on 6 rab-
bit, symptoms Of poisoning came in fif-
teen minutes. <
The extreme rapidity of the action of
poison when injected into the blood
vessels has been shown by Sir r. Christi
son, who states that upon injecting poi
son into the femoral vein of dog, with
his watch in his hand, he was unable to
notice any appreciable interval betH cen
the moment at which it was injected and
that III which the animal died. DR..
Farrer found that when the cobra poison
was injected into the jugular vein of an
animal the actica of the heart was at
once arrested. The heart was not paral-
yzed, but was thrown into state of te-
tanic spasm. It would seem that the
poison could not have had time to reach
the heart in such cases, but that the ef-
feet was produced by transmitted action.
Prof. Piper thinks the action of poison
in such cases is probably somewhat anal
ogous to an electric shock.
Prof. Piper was in Indianapolis week
before last. and by the courtesy Of d..
l.. r. Haynes he was invited to witness
series OF experiments made by the
Doctor with view to studying the effect
(, of snake poison upon the blood and tie
sues of the animal system. OF course
this involves o long and patient use of
the microscope.
DIR. Haynes lad fine rattiesnake about
eleven years old and three and half or
four feet long, confined in cage of
woven wire. One object of his expert
nients was to note the effects of the poi
son with reference to its use as q reme-
dial agent in certain cases OF disease. It
is known that the physiological effects of
curave, the poison used by some savages
i'll poisoning their arrows and spear
points, are directly antagonistic to those
Of strychnine, though to chemical analy-
sis they appear identical. From this il
il inferred that the snake roison might
be used to the same end in treating GER
tain kinds Of disease.
Some thirty animals were used by DR..
Haynes in his experiments. The ami
imals were rats, nens, pigeons and rab-
bits. They LIVED varying periods after
being bitten, death not following in any
regular sequence of time, as is generally
believed. One rat died in eight minutes,
one in twelve, and The nexs rat lived
twenty.seven hours, the next surviving
twenty hours. A pigeon died in aeventy-
five minutes. A hen which was struck
three times lived for three days il a
stupid condition, and finally recovered
This was brave hen. She showed fight
and drew blood from the snake.
The symptoms were labored breathing
paralysisT of the hind extremitiea in the
quadrupeds, and absence Of blood in the
extremities. After death the hearts were
found gorged with blood in final state
This non-coagulation OF blood in these
cases might not be due to the poison
Prof. Piper has often N ct With the same
fact in cases of death from operations
accidents and violence, both in human
beings and animals. The anthogitie'
mention similar cases. Prof Piper wa:
inclined 10 attribute the nvil-coaguiAtior
ct the blood to fright or excitement JUS
before death. This, he thought, perhaps
explained the old trial for murder by t. .t
ordeal of touch. According to the ordea
the suspected person was compelled x
touch the body of the victim, and if the
blood flowed from the wounds it was re-
garded as verdict against the accused
II the blood in the victim of murder wa
not eoagulated very slight touch woult
make 1t flow even nnra faalv than water
DR.. Piper said tile rattlesnake appeared
capable of striking from seve.al differen
positions, according rs it suited his con
yenienee, but when about to strike Their
we're always two lateral curves of tn,
t0Sody, one backward and one forward
Inc rattlesnaks springs only two-third
OF his own length.
AS to the remedy for the bite OF tn
iaulesnake, Prof. Piper had not pal,
particular attention to the matter, but
physlcian in Western PennEvlvAnin na