Morning journal and courier., 1884-08-20

snake uninjured. ''You haye," he says, ''but to blow in his mouth drop or two of the oil from a dirty pipe"
 Two young men chopping wood together I III Virginia espied rattlesnake. With 8 forked stick one of them held its head close to the ground, keeping it's body constrained with his foot, while his comrade took from his own mouth quid of tobacco which he I forced into that of the snake The reptile was then released, and had not crawled a couple of yards before it was convulsed, swelling and dying within short time. Strychnine appears to have similar effect to tobacco on snakes. Fayrer found cobras extremely susceptible to the influence of strychnine. An almost impalpable quantity, caused cobra to twist itself up in a rigid
 series of coils and die. Carbolic acid is an other drug which produces powerful effects. Poured on the floor of their cages it will kill venomous snakes in a very short time A
 large Bungarus died in ten minutes in this way.
 Dr. Weir Mitchell approves of carbolic acid. The Lancet recommends every back
 woodsman to supply himself with little of it, which is easily portable and manageable in capillary tubes. In several of Mitchell's
 experiments with crotalus venom, carbolic acid applied to the wound was attended with
 success. But it must be done at once. The whole secret of cures-when cures can
 be effected at all-1ies in promptness. It is eelsrity on the part of the Indians which en- sures their success. In an instant, if his comrade be bitten, the savage is on his knees
 sucking the wound, grasping the limb firmly
 or strapping it tightly above and below the
 bite knowing quite well the importance of
 checking the circulation. He has his ,s'poi-
 son pills" and tobacco in his pouch. He ex-
 plodes gunpowder on the wound and loses
 not an instant, nor does the victim lose heart.
 He submits with courage and confidence, and
 in these lie another element of success
 Many cases are on record of persons being
 at deaths door through fear alone when bit
 ten by harmless snake, but recovering on
 being assured that there was no danger. And
 other cases are well known where bitten per
 sons have died of fright and the depressing
 influence surrounding the accident, when
 they might possibly have recovered.
 And now for a few words about the most
 popular and perhaps most attainable of all
 remedies-alcohol. No wonder that the
 backwoodsman resorts to this, which. with out any chopping-of of fingers or toes, or
 personal pyrotechnics other local tortures
 deadens his sensibihties, renders him uncon-
 sclous Of all suffering and sends him into
 happy obliviousness of danger. It is not refined mode of treatment nor one that pre- sents many opportunities of exhibiting pro- fessional skill; and it is no doubt somewhat derogatory to admit that to become dead drunk is effective victory against snake venom. During sojourn in Iowa some years ago, when wild and uncleared lands formed the ''streets' of the town in which I was staying-Lyons, on the Mississippi river
 and as lovely spot as artists and botanists can wish to revel init was by no means an infrequent occurrence to hear of rattlesnake bites.
 ''What was to be done to the man? is he aliVe?" were questions naturally asked.
 He drank a quart of raw whiskey and got dead drunk"
 Generally quart had the desired effect, that is of causing intoxication. Persons un- used to intoxieants might be affected by less quantity, but so violent is the combat be- tween venom and whiskey that large dose must be swallowed before any effects at all are produced. heard of @ man in Nevada, George Terhune, a teamster q give his name, having reason to believe the truth of the sto- ry), who was bitten in the hand by rattle snake while stepping to reach some water out of 8 spring. The man was alone and far away from human habitations. It was an instinctive and momentary business first to kill the snake; then rushing to his wagon, he drew the bung from keg of whiskey and took a large draught of the contents. After swallowing as much as he could he took some tobacco from his pocket, saturated that with whiskey and applied this poultice to his hand. He then proceeded with his team drinking whiskey at intervals until he reached dwelling, when he removed the | poultice and found that the wound had | turned green. Applying another of the same | kind, he resumed his journey and his potent l doses, reaching his destination the next day | as sober as judge, having imbibed enough | fire-water to intoxicate dozen men.
 The quantity sometimes swallowed under such circumstances is utterly incredible. | Professor Halford describes n case of snake bite near Melbourne, in which two bottles of brandy were drunk without any symp- toms of intoxication, and another of girl of fourteen, who, when bitten by an Aus tralian snake, drank three bottles without being intoxicated. She recovered.
 Alcohol has powerful attractions for OK ygen, writes Professor Halford, on the theory that the venom has produced for eign cells in the blood; that if alcohol engage the oxygen absorbed by the poison the cells perish and recovery ensues. Dr. Shortt, of Madras, says: Bring the patient under the influence of intoxication as speedily as possible; make him drunk and keep him drunk until the virus is over come Dr. Weir Mitchell states that deli cate women and young children under the influence of snake poison could take quarts of brandy without injury and almost with out effect. One mana man of temperate brandy, which only slightly intoxicated him for about four hours. Another man. bit ten in the throat, was cured at the end of twenty-four hours, during which time he had two quarts of whiskey in one night, | and renewed, the pulse fell, besides red | pepper and other stimulants.