The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-08-15
The Rattler's Bite.
EXTRACTS FROM DOCTOR MITAHELL $
CENTURY" ARTICLE ON THE VENOM
OF THE SNAKE.

Soon as the rattlesnake, VINO
means mischief, throws himself into
spiral, and about one-third of his
length, carrying the head, rises from
the coil and stands upright, the at
titude 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 for days unnoticed in
his cage. Larger or noisy creatures
alarm him. Then his head and neck
are thrown far back, his mouth Is
opened very wide, the fang held
firmly erect, and with an abrupt
swiftness. for which his ordinry mo-
tions prepare one but little, he strikes
once and is back on guard again,
vigilant and brave. The blow is a
stab. and is given by thowing the
head forward, while the half-coils
below il are Strengthened out to
lenpthen the neck and give power
to the motions which drive the fangs
into the opponent s flesh; as they en-
ter the temporal muscle closes the
lower Jaw Oh the part struck, and
thus forces the sharp fang deeper
in. It is a thrust aided by a bite.
At this moment The poison duct is
opened by the relaxation OF the
muscle which surrounds it, and the
same muscle which shuts the jaw
soueezes the gland, and drives Its
venom through the duct and hollow
fang into the bitten part.
In SO complicated series OF acts
there is often failure. The tooth
strikes on tough skin and doubles
back or fails to enter, or the ser
pent misiudges distance and iails
short and many squirt the venom
four or five feet in the air, dong no
harm. 7 had curious experience
of this kind in which snake elght
feet six inches long threw tea
spoonful or more of poison athwart
nv forehead. 1t missed my eyes
bv an inch or two. | have had
many near escapes, but this was the
crimmest of all. An inch lower
would have cost me my sight ano
probably my life.
A snake will turn and strike from
any posture, but the coil is the atti
tude always assumed when posi-
BILE. The coil acts rs an anchor, ano
enables the animal to shake lt'
fangs loose from the wound, a
snake can rarely strike beyond hal
his length. If both fangs enter, th'
hurt is doubly dangerous, because
the dose venom is doubled. Al
times a fang is left in the flesh, bu'
this does of not trouble the serpant
powers as poisoner, since number
less teeth lie ready to become firmly
fixed III its place, and both fangs are
never lost together. The nervous
mechanism which controls the act
of striking seems to be in the splna
cord, for if we cut off a snak's heao
and then pinch its tail, the stump o'
the neck returns and with some
accuracy hits the hand of the eX
perimenter-if he has the nerve tC
hold ON. Few men have. have
not. 4 little Irishman who tool
care of my laboratory astonishet
me by coolly sustaining this test
He did it by closing his eyes, and Sc
shutting out for moment the TOT
suggestive view of the returning
stump.
When n man or an animal is bitter
bv n rattlesnake death may TAX
place in few minutes. 1t has fol
lowed in man within II minute, bu
unless the dose given be enormous
or by chance enters vain, this
very unlikely. The bite is, however
popularly believed to be mortal, an
therefore every case OF recover,
/" gives credit to some remedy, for
is n maxim with physicians that tn
incurable and the easily relieved
maladies are those which have mos
remedies assigned to them.
!, Usually the animal struck gives
cry, and very soon becomes dull an
languid. The heart, at first enieel
!. led, soon recovers, the respiration
become slower and weaker an
more weak, paralysis seizes the Inn
- legs. the chest becomes motiohie'
and at last death follows, usual
!. without conyulsions. Observe no
:, little this tells us Mere outwai
D. observation gives up but slight e
d planatory help, If the animal shou
At, chace to survive over half hou
ssy the part bitten swells, darkens' al
within few hours the whole I'm
or NAV be soaked to the bone WI
. blood which has somehow gott'