Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-07
EAKiRs WHO TOY WITH yrSoxous

EAKfRs WHO TOY WITH yryoNous
serpens in India have far more effective
way OF depriving them Of power 10 do harm
than pulling out their poison fanes. which are
soon replaced BY other teeth moving up into
the places Of the extracted incisors and estab-
fishing connection with the ducts tina. contain
the virus When they wish TO tame cobra.
which 10 the most deadly Of all snakes. they
make . cut under the creatures upper lin. so
a. to expose the reservoir of venom Just above
each tooth. This poison bag they cut out with
knife and then apply . hot iron, thus de-
stroying the part entirely. A serpent oper-
ated upon in this manners rendered innocuous
forever.
TEE HoYrTfAS cEAAsTE2
There are cobras in Egypt also, but the favor
lite snake for exhibition in that country 10 a
very venomous species called the "cernstek"
This kind of serpent has a little horn on each
side OF its head, which il supposed TO serve as
a bait for attracting small birds, resembling as
u does worn. However the fakirs substitute
Tor the cerastes . harmless ophidian from Tur-
Key, which looks Just like it. cave for lack Of
the head Of the counserfeit q pair OF spurs
small bird.
TEE ACTION OF foisoSs.
Nature seems to have provided that no poison
which acts externally shall have any effect in
sernally and vice versa- Thus the most deadly
snake venom can be swallowed with impunisy,
tne Juices OF the stomach presumably de-
composing 1t and rendering ID harmless Many
experiments have been made to prove this On
one occasion recorded BY Humboldt one per
son s@auowed the whole Of the poison that
could be obtained from four italian yipers
wathout suffering any bad consequences. In
the same way the poison from the envenomed
arrows OF South American Indians can be
swallowed with safety, provided only that there
Y no wound on the lips or inside of the mouth.
poisons, remarks: being reduced by con-
Trajectory evidence to the necessity of tasting
the venom myself, did 30, but not without
repugnance, and shall advise no one 10 try il
In gsyety OF heart lest he should happen to
nave soms excoriation on the tongues cir
cumstance not always easy to determine.
could find no taste in it. except Of . very
insipid liquor"
SUCKING SNAKE WOUNDS.
Among al peoples the sucking Of the wound
has ever been considered the most effective
remedy Of immediate application for snake
bites In Africa a cupping instrument is en-
pioyed In emergencies Of the kind to draw out
the poisoned blood. The ancients followed
the same method, and when Cato made his
famous expedition through the serpent-in-
Tested African deserts he employed many saw
age snake charmers, called Psylli, to follow the
army. They performed many mysterious rites
over men who were bitten, but the efficacy of
their treatment appears TO have consisted in
sucking the wounds. vivid notion Of the in
tensisy OF eobra's venom Ia given by the ex-
perience of DIR. Francis T. Buckiand. He mt
q rat into cage with a snake of that species
and II was killed after plucky fight Upon
examining the skin Of the dead rat Immediately
aftervard he found two very minute punctures.
like small needle holes, where the faugs of the
cobra had entered. The flesh seemed already
to have actually mortified in the neighborhood
Of the wound. Anxious to find ont If the
skin was affected DIR. auckland scraped away
the hair from it with his finger nail Then
he threw the rat away and started isomeward
He had not walked 100 yards before all of a sud
den he felt Is il somebody had come behind
him and struck him severe blow on tine head
ana neck. At the same time he experienced a
most acute pain and sense Of oppression about
the chest. He kaew instantly that he was poi
soned, and SO ieseso time ia seeking an apoihe-
cary shop, whese - was dosed with brandy and
ammonia He came very near dying. I'm
doubtedly q small quantity Of the venom had
made ITS way into his system through little
cot beneath his nail, where il had been
separated slightly from the flesh in the process
OF cleaning the nail with . penknife little
time before.
ARROW Polsoys.
The most deadly of all known poisons is the
''woorari," used by the South American In
dams for their arrows 1t is said to be pre-
pared BY pounding together with certain roots
tEo species OF ants, one very large black and
30 venomous that its sting produces a fever.
the other small and red, with bite that feels
IKE nettle. To this mixture Il added the
pounded fangs and venom bags of two kinds Of
snakes snake poison will retain its properties
when dried for an indefinite period. II is
readily soluble in the blood Of the victim struck
with an arrow ar spear that has been dipped in
1t, and the exertions OF the luckless animal or
man to escape by flight only hasteus the opera
uon OF the venom the accelerated action Of
the heart soon distributing the fatal fluid
through the system. Mr.. Campbell in an
account Of his travels nsrrates that one
OF his attendant Bushmep in Africa was shot
with poisoned arrow between the shoul iers
HIS head sweiied up to an enormous size and
with poison extracted from the pun adder or
some other desert serpent. The Bushmeu and
also the Australian natives commonly eat the
hesh Of snakes, which in said to taste much like
veal, the meat being white and firm. Snake
poison Is a transparent nuid, Of yellou ish
human saliva. 1t Is most easily examined by
irritating the ophidian and causing il to bite
the rim Of q saucer, thus depositing the secre-
ton in the receptacle. After having been
dried it becomes very beautifully crystallized.
KILLED BY SNAKES II INDIA
Probably not less than $1,000 people are
killed BY snakes in India every year They are
one Of the chief causes of mortality in that
country. Great efforts have been made by the
British government 70 destroy them, but with
very little success. Unfortunately the natives
regard them a. sacred. They consider the
COBRA in particular a. embodying come sort OF
divinity, and it il customary for them 10 allow
these frightfni creatures ~ pets on their
premises. O6ers Of bounties for serpents'
hsads have been discouraged by the discovery
81 the practice pursued by many low-oaste
Hindoos OF breeding snakes arti6cially 70
supply the Official demand. In that warm
climate snakes propagate their species
very fast and their venom accumulstes
rapidly. Although the cobra IL the most
dreaded Of al, the kraft and other varieties
are hardly less deadly. They swarm eyery-
where. The cobras are especially fond Of tax
ing up their residence in gardens and under
verandaA No cnre for . cobrs's bite d known
10 science, although there il good evidence
thst the native doctors sometimes rsscus VIC |
tins BY remedies which they keep secret