The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-09-21
THE RATTLEsNAKE.

From profusely illustrated arti-
Gle by DR.. S. Weir Mitchell, on "The
Poison of Serpents," in the August
Century, we quote the following:
"Let US observe what happens
when the rattlesnake means mis-
chief. He throws himself into a
spiral and about one-third of his
length, carrying his head, rises from
the coil and stands upright. The
attitude is fine and warlike, and
artists who attempt to portray it
always fail. He does not pursue,
he waits. Little animals he scorns
unless he is hungry, SO that the
mouse or the toad he leaves un-
touched for days in his cage. Larger
or noisy creatures alarm him. Then
his head and neck are thrown far
back, his mouth opens very wide,
the fang held firmly erect, and with
an abrupt swiftness for which his
ordinary motions prepare one but
little, he strikes once and is back on
guard again, vigilant and brave.
The blow is stab, and is given by
throwing the head forward while
the half-coils below it are straight
ened out to lengthen the neck and
give power to the motions which
drive the fangs into the opponents
flesh. AS they enter, the temporal
muscles closes the lower jaw on the
part struck, and thus forces the
sharp fang deeper in. 1t is a thrust
aided by a bite. At this moment
the poison duct is opened by the
relaxation of the muscle which sur
rounds it, and the same muscle
shuts the jaw, squeezes the gland
and drives it's venom through the
duct and hollow fang into the bit
ten part.
In so complicated a series of acts
there is often failure. The tooth
strikes on tough skin and doubles
back or fails to enter, or the serpent
misjudges distance and falls short,
and may squirt the venom four or
five feet in the air, doing no harm.
l had a curious experience Of this
kind in which a snake eight feet
six inches long threw a teaspoonful
or more of poison athwart my fore
head. It missed my eyes by an
inch or two. have had many near
escapes, but this was the grimmest
of all. An inch lower would have
cost me my sight and probably my
life.
A snake will turn and strike from
any posture, but the coil is the at
titude always assumed when posi-
BILE. The coil acts as an anchor
and enables the snake to shake its
fangs loose from the wound. A
snake can rarely strike beyond halt
its length. If both fangs enter, the
hurt is doubly dangerous, because
the dose of venom is doubled. AT
times fang is left in the fish, but
this does not trouble the serpent's s
power as a. poisoner, since number
less teeth lie ready to become firmly
fixed in its place, and both teeth
are never lost together. The nerv'
Gus mechanism which controls the
act of striking seems to be the spi'
nal cord, for if we cut off a snakes
head the stump of the neck returns
and with some accuracy hits the
hand of the experimenter-if he
have the nerve to hold on. Few men
have; | have not. A little Irish.
man who took care of my labratory
astonished me by coolly sustaining
this test. He did it by closing his
eyes and shutting out for moment
the too suggestive view of the re-
! turning stump. Snakes have always
seemed to me averse to striking
and they have been, on the whole
much maligned.
/ am often asked what | woulc
do if I were bitten while far from
help. If the wound be at the tiI
of the finger, should like to gel
rid of the pert by some such prompt
auto surgical operation as knife o.
a possible hot iron affords. Failin:
these, or while seeking help it Ii
wise to quarantine the poison by
two ligatures drawn tight enough
to stop the circulation. The hear
weakness is made worse by emo
ton, and at this time man ma,
need stimulus to enable him to wall
home. AS soon as possible some
. one should thoroughly lnfiltrate tn
I seat of bite with permanganate o
the agents above mentioned. b.
working and kneading the tissues
the venom and the antidote may b.
, made to come into contact, and tn
+. former be SO far destroyed. At thi
time it becomes needful to rela'
2 the ligatures to escape gangrene
This relaxation of course lets som
! venom in the bloodhound, but in
t few minutes it is possible again t
E tighten the ligatures and again t
7 inject the local antidote. Ii tn
dose of venom be large and the dis
; tance from help great, except tn
knife or cautery, little is to be don
of value. But it is to be borne i
t mind that in this country q bite i
]. 4ho oxtron,;4;oe rarely causes deatl