West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-11-14

cobra and he recommends II. should
YOU wish to destroy the snake uniu-
lured. "lou have. " he says. but to
blow into its mouth a drop or two OF
the oil from dirty pine"
Two young men choppiug wood to-
gcthor in Virginia cspicd rattlcsn1ke
with forkod stick one of them held
its head close TO the ground. Keeping
the body constrained with his foot,
while his comradc took from his own
mouth n qud ot tohac which ha
forced into that % the snake Tho
reptile was then released, aud hal not
crawlcd "A couple OF Yards before il
was ,onvulsed, swelling aud dying with
I'm short time. Strychninc appears to
have similar effect to tobacco on
snakes. tnyrcr found cohraS extreme
ly susceptible To the influence OF
strychnino. An almost impalpablc
quantity caused n cobra To twist It.,
self up in a rigid series of coils and die.
Carboli' acid is another drug which
produces powerful c1ccts. Poured on
the floor of their cages il will Kill von-
omous snakes in very short time \
large Bungarus died in ten minutes in
this way.
The whole secret of curls-whcn
cures can bc Effected at all-lios in
promptncss. Ii is celebrity on the part
of the Indians which insuros their sue
cess. In IN instant, ii his comrade is
bitten, the savage is on his knees suck
ing the wound graspjng the limb firm
ly or strapping it tightly above and be
low the bite, knowing quito well the
importance of checking the circulation
He has "his poison pills. and tobacco
in his pouch. He cNplodcS gun powder
on the wound and loses not an instant.
ror does the victim loose heart. IIo
submits with courage and confidence,
aud in these lies another element of
success. Many cases are on record of
persons being ut deaths door through
fear alone, when bitten 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 dc
pressing influence surrounding the
accident, when they might possibly
have recovered
And now for few words about the
most popular and perhaps most attain
able OF all remedies alcohol. No
wonder tlfc backwUodsman resorts To
this, which without any chopping oil OF
fingers or toes, or personal pyrote"hnics
or other local tOrturcs, dcadcnS his SEN
sibilitics, renders him unconscious OF
all suffering. ana sends him into "a hap
py obiviouSne,s of danger. IL is not
refined mole of treatment. nor one
that presents many opportunities of OK
hibiting professional skill and IL is no
doubt somewhat dcrogatory TO admit
that to become dead drunk is an effect
i've victory against snake venom
The quantity sometimes swallowed
under such circumstances is utterly in
credible. Prof. Halford describes n
snako-bte, near Mclbourn, in which
two bottles of brandy were drank with
/ out anv symptoms of intoxication, and
another of II girl of fourteen who
when bitten by an Australian snake,
drank three bottles with out being in
toXicated. She recovered.
Alcohol has powerful attractions for
oxygen, writes Prof. IIalford, on the
theory that the venom has produced
foreign cells in tho blood; 50 that ii al
cOhOl engage the oxygen absorbed by
the poison, the cells perish and recov-
cry cnsues. DR.. Short. Of Madras,
says: Bring the patient uUdcr the inliu-
ence of intolication rs speedily rs pos
siblci make him drunk and keep him
drunk until the virus is overcome. ID.
Weir Mitchell states that delicate wo-
men and young children under the influ-
ence Of snake poison could take quarts
OF brandy without injury, aud almost
without effect One mana man Ol
temperate habits-tOok one quart and
half pint Of brandy, which only
slightly intoxicated him Tor about four
hours. Another man bitten i'm the
throat, was cured OF the end Of twenty
four hours, during which time he had
two quarts OF whisky in one night, and
renewed, a the p lsc fell besides rod
pepper and other stimulant5.