Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-07-05

i
| : day Review.
When the constitutional symptoms
Of snakc-poisoning set in, there is little
to be done except 10 try to steer the
| patient through their course by ad.
minstering light food and Stimulantl
when necessary, and by resorting TO
artificial respiration in Il few suitable
cases, The system oftrcatinga victim to
snakc-poisoning rs if hc were suffering
from narcotic poisoning and keeping
him moving about is most injurious,
and the opposite course should always
be adopted. Dr.. Wall has found no
benefit accrue from the injection of am
monia or the pcrmanganatc of potash
into the blOOd nor does he speak en-
couragingly Of the treatment, so often
followed in India and elsewhere, of
giving largo quantities of alcohol 10
tho extent of producing intoXication.
With regard to the prevention of the
mortality from snakc.bltc, the Indian
government relies on offering rewards
for killing poisonous snakes, and the
occupation OF snake killer is no doubt
much more lucrative than that of rat
catcher in this country. The natives
who go about their work barc-footcd
and generally more than half naked,
are often too much under the intlenCo
of the ancient superstition of snake
worship TO make war on snakes with n
prospect of cXterminating them. Sir
Joseph Fayror tells US that they often
object to killing cObras which may have
taken up their quarters in their houses
lest some misfortune may fall on their
home or family. "Should fear, and
perhaps the death of some intimate by
accident, provo stronger than supcrsti-
tiOn, the cObras may be caught tender
ly handled, and dcportcd to some field,
where ii is released and allowed to de-
part in peace" Tho mongoose is the
natural enemy of the snake, and al
though it seems TO be rs tamablc as
the cat, its dcpredations on the poultry
yard will always prevent it taking the
place of the cat in the Indians house
hold. Doctor Wall mentions a fact
relative to the mode OF attack of the
mongoosc ON poisonous snakes which
we 90 hoI remember seeing stated be-
iore' ana whlch places that animal
very hlSh III tho scale OF animal in
telnSchce;
'Onc of the Indian snakes chief
enemies, cIcillcS, tee llohSooSc' mas no fear
"httcNcr oi ihe polsoh' us anyone Will
CONFESS WHO mas seen with what COM
pletG ease nc SclAeS inc snake and
cruShGs ouI lirSI ono anu Then the 9th
et OF lhe Poisoh-iangS with his long in
cl'ors' ana thGi' uGVourS the cobra
mus rendered hclpIcSs-at his leisure.
l nat inc mohSooSc Is perfectly aware
OF tho existence OF the poison-fang
lhero can DC no doubt for he only
series inc COBRA ny inc Tang; and should
nc miss ms ann he rctlres Mt once out
OF reach to make fresh attack.
Dr. wall makes this statement in
support OF his theory that the poison
tahgs OF snakes have not been devcl-
oped for defensive purposes, but to en-
able them to secure their prey with
greater ease anu certainty. The cobra
lives chlelly on frogs, which he secures
by .paralyHlng them, while the dobola,
Living on small but active mammals,
diSables them by throwing them into
convulslons. 1t is probable that we
have allowed the Importance of the
poisonous symptoms of snakc-bites to
overshadow our judgement in our in
quirics into the use of the poison fang.
The gland in which the poison is Sc
creted is analogous to the parotid |
gland in other animals, and its 5ecre-
ton has probably some similar use to
the saliva in the economy of the snakes
digestion, and its action, even as y
poison, may bo due TO some essential
principle which may act in similar