The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1894-02-21
AN AUTHORITY ON SNAKES
Dx. wYETH SAYS THE RATHER is
A NOBLE ANIMAL.
Popular Misinformation--Har
Reptiles with Bad Regulations
DEGREES of Venom.


question, that it was snakes out of
boots, not in them, he was after,
"the rattlesnake is the king of
reptiles He is as brave as he is
powerful, never attacks without
provocation, and then never without
warning 1 should never kill one
unless wanted il to dissect or unless,
and here it was the father, not the
scientist, who spoke, 81 found one
near where my children happened to
be playing"
The Doctors opinion of the rattle
snake is based entirely upon his OBJ
servations of its personal courage and
fairness in battle; he does not seek to
deprive it of any of its reputation as
particularly venomous serpent. Its
venom is the most poisonous of any
American reptile, and is second only,
so far as is known, to the cobra. The
order of ''toxicity" in serpent venom
that is, the comparative desdli-
ness-is cobra, rattlesnske, Ameri-
can copperhesd, moccasin, and
spreading adder. The chemists
have been experimenting with the
venom of rattlesnakes until they are
able to talk about it like an expert
witness in a poison murder trial. DIR.
Wyeth, in the second edition of his
work on surgery, in considering the
subject poison, quotes DIR. Weir
Mitchell as saying that rattlesnake
venom is from greenish to a straw tint
in color, and there have been chemi-
cally isolated from it three proteids-
venom peptone, venom globuline and
venom albumen. 1t is the globuline
that is intensely poisonous, and its
toxic properties are destroyed by
bromine, iodine, sodium and potas-
sium permanganate. If you do not
happen to have any of these in your
vest pocket, DIR. Wyeth gives the equal
weight of his authority in pronouncing
whisky Tor alcohol in some other form)
as the best physiological sntidote.
DIR. Wyeth is an Alabamian and
lived in his native State for many
years when, as he says, snakes were
very plentiful.
''There it was, he said to the Sun
reporter, 'that learned to know and
respect the many virtues of the rattle
snake. 1 also observed many physi-
cal traits of that and other snakes
which disprove many popular beliefs
concerning them. The belief seems
quite general, for example, that the
rattlesnake coils itself in preparing to
spring. Now the facts happen to be
that it neither coils before delivering
blow nor springs, so that it leaves
the ground entirely, in its delivery.
''When rattler has made up its
mind that it is time to strike it raises
the forward half of its body, the pos
terror half, or about that proportion,
remaining on the ground, sometimes
in loop. The forward part is drawn
back upon this fixed portion in the
shape of a letter s. The stroke is
made by quick Strengthening out of
the forward half in a straight line
but the part of the body on the
ground remains in one spot, as does
the rear foot of an expert boxer as he
straightens out his body and arm to
deliver a blow. The rattler can re-
peat that blow with surprising rapidity.
If you hold stick at distance where
the snake can strike it the poison is
emitted. 1t has peculiar sweetish
and quite unpleasant odor.
81 saw an account, recently in a sci
entitic paper, written by scientist, OF
Suicide of Rattlesnakes. very much
doubt both the intention and the pos
sibility. 1t is well established sci
entific fact that serpent venom pro
duces no poisonous effect in the tis-
sues of the reptile which produces it,
or in the tissues of any venom-pro.
ducing reptile. That snakes do bite
themselves sometimes know from oh.
servation, for have seen them do SC
when striking at stick with which
they have been pinioned. 1t is posi-
BILE too, that they may bite themselves
when enraged from any other cause,
but doubt the suicidal intent"
DR.. Wyeth is inclined to dis
count much of the belief in the dead
illness of reptile poisoning.
'"lhe venom of the scorpion IN the
Orient does sometimes produce
DEATH" he says, "but the sting of the
North American scorpion is not dan
gerous. / have failed to hear of &
single death from scorpion bite, al
though l have made personal inquiry
of humorous physicians practicing il
the South and West Once in Nortl
Carolina 1 was out surveying, and il
steadying myself while fixing an in
strument placed my hand on decay
ing stump of tree, and was bitten OF
the palm by scorpion, which cluns
to my hand when raised it. 1 shool
off the reptile, expressed the wound
and sucked it, too, believe. No in
convenience, whatever, resulted from
the wound
''The tarsntula is also considere,
very poisonous. This is also an error
1 believe. DR.. Thomas A. Pope
of Texas, who has had great exper
fence in this matter, wrote to me tina
in all his practice he knew of but on
death resulting from tarantula bite 1
that case death was not produced froI
the direct effect of the poison, but b
choking, caused by swelling of tn
neck, where the man had been bitten
$50 return to my pet, the rattleI
He is as fearless a fighter anon
snakes as he is with his natural Ell
emies, men and dogs. i have neve
seen him whipped by any other kin
, of snake, although one witness, whoi
p / know to be a careful observer. fol