The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-05-10
ASr1po1Es FOR SNAKE BITES.
Interesting Experiments at the snaithson'
ian Institution.
New York Herald

New 10TH I1eldlO.
For number of months past the
scientists of the Smithsonian Institution
have been experimenting with anti
dotes for poisonous snake bites. Mr..
Edmund S. Rheenl, who has charge OF
the experiments, believes that the mys-
terry has at last been solved. Jaborandl is
the drug which has thus far been used
with great success upon animals, par
ticularly guinea pigs, rabbits and chick
ems. The venom is obtained by placing
a bit of cotton upon the end of stick
and irritating the snake until 1t strikes
the cotton and leaves its venom there.
The cotton is then placed in small
vessel containing glycerine and when
thoroughly saturated the cotton Is
squeezed dry and the liquid retained.
Fifteen drops of this liquid, which have
been found to be equal to four drops OF
pure poison, are hypodermically ad-
ministered to the subject. In the ma
jority of cases this is Immediately fol-
lowed by similar injection OF jaboran-
di, although the latter has been found
to be equally efficacious when Il lapse
of five minutes occurs.
The most poisonous reptile known to
American scientists is the rattlesnake.
It is with this animal that all the recent
experiments have been made. A letter
was recently received at the institute
from New York gentleman who offers
TO furnish a certain amount of venom
from the cobra-dc-capello. The officials
have written their acceptance OF the
offer and are now awaiting its receipt.
The strength of these poisons is not
apparently diminished by the lapse OF
time. Mr.. Rheem says the records OF
the institute show that venom which
has been retained twenty years IS quite
as deadly in its effects when applied as
if fresh from the snake. Mr.. Rheem
tells remarkable story about hen at
the institute which had been inoculated
with rattlesnake poison six different
times. After the third inoculation 1t
became venom-proof, and in the recent
experiments it has not been found nee
essary to apply the antidote. The hen,
Mr.. Rheem says, is apparently as we'll
as ever. She lays an egg each day,
which the janitor of the building eats
with his breakfast.
The next experiments will be with
pigs and larger animals. Should these
prove successful the offer of an Ohio
man to present himself as subject will
then be considered.
Mr.. Rheem says the Smithsonian COL
lection of reptiles numbers 1900. 1t
embraces every variety of reptile except
the hoopsnake. Thus far none OF these
have been secured, and their existence
is believed to be a myth. Colonel Tom
Ochiltree, of Texas, but more recently
of New York, has letter on file, writ
ten four years ago, in which that gen.
tle.ra:i relates that the hoopsnake has
an existence, which is proven by the
following incident, the correctness OF
which Colonel Ochiltree affirms. The
colonel says:
"a few weeks prior to the writing OF
this letter negro in Central Texas was
chased by hoopsnake. The negro
was mounted on mule. He saw that
he would be overtaken, whereupon he
dismounted and sought shelter behind
large cypress tree. The snake uncoiled
and threw itself against the tree, bury
ing the poisoned prong at the end OF the
tail so deeply into the wood that It
could not intricate itself. A splinter
from the tree struck the mule and killed
it. Next day the tree, which had been
several feet in circumference, had
shrivelled to the size of a sapling."
Man of RenOwn.