The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-12-01

shortly, and was, IN TACT, quite dlgestcu.
A number of learned conclusions have,
in consequence, been drawn from these
experiments. The venom of serpents
is not, it is said now, a simple poison,
but a pathogenic agent capable of Sc
Letting the organs and tissues upon
which it can operate. Certain parts d
the body appear proof against its raw
ages, while other parts succumb with
out loss of time. Another popularity
about it is that in most instances il is
but slightly effected by boiling; while
on the other hand, if kept, ii viii give
off bacteria after q certain interval.
That it is not, however, an organized
virus is shown in the fact that the 'scul-
ture liquid" as well as the fluids which
proceed from an Inflammation due to
the poison, cause different symptoms
altogether from the poison itself, and
thus incubation from snake poison
could not be conducted on the princi-
pal of vaccination from the virus Of
cowpox. But the most remarkable dis
eovery of all is that it is capable of dis
solving albumen, aud that eventually it
may prove an excellent digestive, If
there be no internal LESSONS, and an
agent Of good rather than OF evil.
1t will be, however, a long while, we
take it. before the poison of the cobra
will be used instead of pancreatic emul-
sion for dyspeptic patients; for, not
withstanding that DR.. Stradling, OF
Paris, is reported to have swallowed
last week, without any ill effects, five
or six drops of the venom of that dead
ly snake, after they had been placed on
lump of sugar, society for the most
part would hesitate before they put an
enemy into their mouth which might
possibly steal away life. But an accu !,
rate knowledge of what the various poi
sons of serpents really are and what
they can effect cannot but bring about
good results. M. Gautier, the celebra-
ted French savant, has inst shown, in
deed, that there is not much differences
after all between human saliva and the
secretions from snake fangs. Taking
some twenty grammes of the salivarY
fluid and purifying it the other day, he
obtained substance which, after being
injected in the form of solution under
the skin of 3 bird, threw it into a state
of coma and complete stupor, and final
ly killed it in half an hour. Impressed
with so strange an experiment, M.
Gautier went further, and found that
the poisonous character of saliva was
not affected even when heated to very
degree, and after much
careful research he came to the conclu-s
sion that, inasmuch as in its effects it.
greatly resembles the bite of the cobra,
both as respects the period of coma, ex-
citation, commissions and tetanic con-
it is after all only q modified
form of the venom from which we fiy
when the hooded Indian terror shows
its teeth. Further experiments reveal
the fact that the poisonous matter of
saliva, when mixed with the ferrocya-
hide OF potassium, produces, like cobra
poison q Prussian blue; and there is /
now reason to believe that the active
principle of it is an alkaloid similar to
The cadav6ric poisons called ptomaines
which NM. Broardel and Boulmy have
There is nothing at all un-
in all this. Possibly enough
he poison which serpents conceal in |
The glands at the back Of their fangs do
lid them in the digestion of food, just in |
he same way as the human saliva is |
Utilized by men; and it is somewhat de-
grading to think that Rabelais was right |
liter all when be claimed poisonous
Tor the human bite, it is lust |
IS well that we should know precisely
What itfissthe cobra injects into its VIC
i'm, SO as to be able eventually to eoun-
eract the effects. "a London DAILY 1ele-
iraph. sesfs..I