Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-08-03
SNAKE POISON.
The Nature and Treatment OF the Venom
of SorpontS.

The Nature and Treatment OF the Venom
OF Serpents.
The fang of a poisonous snake Is
hollow throughout, having q perfect
canal from the base Of the fang to the
point, where the opening consists of a
narrow longitudinal slit The fang rep
resents a perfect hypodermic needle,
and when it is driven into the flesh the
poison is injected into the deeper It's
sues as dose of morphine could be in
jected by hypodermic syringe. The
fang is attached to bone that is freely
movable, so that a fang oan be raised
for attack or lowered entirely out of
sight into depression of the upper
jaw just behind it The poisonous fangs
are in the upper jaw only, other minute
curved teeth being used only In swal-
lowing.
The skins and tissues are so elastic
that snakes can swallow quantities
much larger than the snakes them
selves. The process of swallowing on
their part is more or less an operation
of drawing themselves around their
food, forcing themselves outside of 1t.
The act may be compared to the pulling
of a glove on the hand, or the drawing
of pillow case over a pillow.
One reason why the poison of venom
ogs snakes is SO fatal is that it is driven
deep in the tissues through minute
opening, and there is no chance of its
getting it out or of its being washed
out Where only scratch has been
made, or an open cut, DIR. Allen has
found by experiment that there is little
chance of the wound being fatal, as the
poison can be washed out or sucked out
The poison is secreted by large glands
along the sides of the head of the snake.
under and beyond the eyes, and at
Eached TO it is a sack in which the poison
As stored until it is needed, small tube
connecting this with the opening at the
base of the fang.
The poison is a thick, viscid liquid
usually of a bright yellow color, and
consists of an albumenoid which would
do no harm II taken in the stomach un-
less there were same cuts or abrasions
In the mouth by which It could get into
the blood. The poison would do no
harm in the stomach, because It would
be digested. Several different ingredi-
ents of the poison have been separated
10y chemists, and each produces its own
symptoms. The effects of the combined
poison seem to be exerted chiefly on the
nervous system, having paralyzing in
huence over various nerves The very
first immediate symptom of the poison
as tendency to heart failure, and the
Hast fatal symptom seems to be the grad
ual failure of the respiratory function.
"A strange fact about the poison is that
ut almost always contains living germs,
or bacteria, which in themselves would
Tie less likely to cause blood poisoning
oven if the true poison of the snake had
mot been fatal
The fangs are very often cast off and
replaced by new ones. Sometimes there
will be four fangs visible instead of
two In the cavity behind the fangs
are usually four or five reserve fangs in
various stages of development, some OF
them consisting of mere points.
The safest method of treating any
snake bite, DR.. Allen has found, is to
cut into the wound as thoroughly as
possible and at once. Whisky and other
etimulants are used chiefly to prevent
heart failure, and in most cases the use
Eof them is overdone. The bite of the
northern form of rattlesnake is not apt
to be fatal If treated, and excessive
nmounts of whisky in themselves will
cause death. No one can drink quart
of whisky with impunity. In all cases
the first thing to be done Is to cut into
the wound so that the poison can be
sucked out and the proper applications
made
In this line DIR. Allen has given a
great deal Of study to the use of such
applications hypodermically to destroy
the poison locally and check, as far as
possible, the rapidity with which it is
absorbed in the system, in addition to
the internal use of remedies.-N. Y.
Times