The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-07
TO CURE SNAKE BITES.
New Antidote for the Sting Of the
Deadly Rather.

Rochester Letter in New York Recorder.
The startling discoveries and interesting
experiments with the poison OF venomous
tute. New York. by DR.. A. Calmette.
have excited a great deal OF interest
among physicians in this city. The method
Gus snakes. combined with chloride of So
dunn or bichloride of gold, as practiced by
Calmette. does not meet with much favor
among physicians who have made rep
lillian poisons a study.
The antidote most commonly used is per-
manganate of potash; but this is a recent
discovery, and it's effects are not as de-
cided as could be wished for. In order to
more thoroughly test the virulence Of the
poison and the efficacy of the antidote, DIR.
z. V. Ross, of Jefferson avenue, Rochester.
n. Y, conducted a series of experiments
on Friday, and invited a correspondent to
The work was done at the museum of
Peter Gruber. on Mill street. Mr.. Gruber.
snake Pete" has handled r~attlesnakeS, as
they come from the woods, for the last ten
years. and he has been bitten four times,
the last bite nearly costing him his life.
Mr.. Gruber has a large den of vicious rat
tIesnakes. numbering thirty-ive, and the
largest and livelieSt of these reptiles fur
nished the venom for the experiments. DR..
Ross wished to test the relative virulence
of rattlesnake venom and of the poison
produced by the ella monster, and 1t was
decided to allow a rattlesnake to strike a
cat, and note the length of time required
to produce the animals death. The RATHER
the cat. and, before a minute had elapsed,
the foreleg was paralyzed, and in less than
five minutes the animal was in spasms. the
jaws were locked wide open, and the heart
action was very tumultuous: The spasms
increased in force until death ensued,
which was just twenty-seven minutes from
the time the snake struck.
The ella monster was then tried on an
animal of the same kind, but the effect
was almost instantaneous. AS soon as the
teeth of the monster relaxed their hold the
cat spun around like a top, then collapsed
were extinct in less than three minutes.
Then the rattlesnake was brought forth
which had inflicted the wound on Rattle
snake Pete's hand a few weeks ago. This
one that Mr.. Gruber has ever seen. The
instant the cat came within striking dis
lance of the snake the reptiles fangs
plunged twice into the cats side. DR.. Ross
Immediately injected hypodermically twenty
W Wounds The paraiysis ta the nerve centers
was as marked as in the first experiment.
but the spasms were less frequent and not
so severe. There was no tetanus noticeable.
and at the end of two hours the animal
was still alive and the hearts action was
but little higher than normal. At the end
and the animal will probably recover.
DR.. Ross expressed himself as satisfied
that the injection Of potash, II given quick
ly, together with the use OF the ligature,
free incisions of the wound. and alcohol or
ammonia, will prove sufficient to cure a
majority of cases Of rattlesnake poison.
Rattlesnake venom has been analysed by
DR.. Weir Mitchell. of Philadelphia, and the
active principle separated. He has named
this principle crotaline. Crotaline. in in
finitesimal quantities, is used very largely
by homeopathic physicians as a specific
for diphtherla diseases. The venom of the
Brazilian viper is still more generally used
for this purpose, as well as for yellow
fever, smallpox. etc.
Rattlesnake poison is an acid alkaloid,
and the poison sac Of a full-grown serpent
contains thirty TO forty drops. Each time
the snake strikes from seven to eight drops
of the poison are forced through the hollow
fang.
1t is a little curious to note the fact that
human saliva is more deadly TO a rattle
snake than the rattlesnake venom is TO a
human being. DIR. Ross tested this with
one OF the large snakes or Friday. A small
quantity of saliva was dropped into the
snakes mouth, and the snake died from its
effects in a few seconds over four minutes.
One OF the features of the experiments
noticed by DR.. Ross may lead to the use of
crotaline in cases of tetanus.
"RattleSnake Pete extracts the poison of
his rattlesnakes by allowing them to strike
their fangs upon a piece of plate glass, the
poison squirting out in large drops. 1t is
absorbed by sugar OF milk, sealed up in
small walls. and sent to the London Ho-
meopathic Society for their use.