The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-11-15
CdLNETTL,s SNIKE-BITE CURE.
Horse Serum Rendered Immune to Cobra
Poison VIII Cure Any snake Bite.

Last Monday afternoon, under the
watchful eyes of some of the leading
physicians and biologists of England, Or.
A. Calmette, chief of the Pasteur insti-
tUte at Lille. directed "a demonstration Of
the properties OF his anti-yenOmOus see
rum. The poison used was a solution in
carbolzcd water of dried venom. and it
was 50 fatal that q dose of one MILL
lramme for each ki0sramme a rabbit
weighed would kin iu twenty minutes.
ln one Of the actual control experiments.
two millgrammes Were injected into I
vein of the ear of a rabbit Weighing un-
der two kilogrammea and IL died IN
twelve minutes. \ weight of the active
principle Killed n million times its weight
of animal in a few minutes. The mere
record of the details OF the experiments,
however. arresting and convincing these
were 90 Sec need not De gone into. IL is
enough 10 say that in every case a COM
troll experiment was shown. a similar
dose of poison being injected at the same
time into a rabbit unprotected and into
"a rabbit protected or 10 be protected by
the serum. An tine unprotected rabbits
died. an the rabbits that had already
received en- anti-ren0mOus injection We're
unframed. A. "a matter of fact. actual
wounds from VenOmous snakes seldom
are so rapidly fatal as a lethal dose Of
the prepared poison.
Sir Joseph Fayrer for instance. showed
from his Indian cases THAT only - per
cent. died within two hours. while II
per cent. lived for twenty-f0ur hours. In
most cases there is time for treatment
after inhictiou of The wound. and those
experiments of ~ Calmette were most
interesting in which The dose was reg
ullfcd so ass 90 produce death 90 some
time after the injection. Doses cllcu-
lated 10 KIN rabbits within three 90 four
hours We're administered. and tO some
Of the animals Injections OF the anti
venom were given at varying Intervals.
with the result that tine efficacy OF the
treatment was completely established.
The final discovery OF The auti-VcnOm
is the result OF years Of work by N.
Calmctte 40 the Pasteur Institute. in
Paris and in the tropics. Ills Inquiries
began with am INVESTIGATION into the
nature and strength OF the venom from
various snakes. IS most interesting re-
suit was that the mode Of death and
tho nature Of the morbid changes were
practically identical in "a voncmous
snakes. Different kinds of snakes diff
fer in the strength rather than in the
real nature Of their venom. so that The
chance Of escape and en- fatal cases the
tlfIif aIALfI WINCH i"ANl tllrNfr are the
chief variants. He next made detailed
Investigations into fhe action Of various
chemical agents that had been found or
might be supposed from analogy 10 be
remedial The result of these investiga-
tious was that dilute solution Of chic
ride OF lime was proved TO he the most
cficacious agent MIXED with the venom
a. soon DESTROYED the poisonous proper
tics. and injected in small quantities into
tho wounded creature IL proved always
able TO retarl the action Of the poison.
and sometimes was curative. Under the
influence OF pastour. Of MttchlikOn. and
especially Of R0uX. DR.. Calmctte then
turned u the side of his investigations
which has AT last been completely Sue
ccssful. II had hesn known that the
blood Of venomOus snakes and OF many
harmless snakes was poisonous. and that
such snakes were more or less immune
10 the attacks Of natural venom II was
supposed that in the case Of the poisonous
snakes the blood slowly became imnreg-
mated with venom and Injured 10 f.. This
view was strengthened by the discovery
Of poisonous glands. which. however.
could not discharge their poison through
the teeth. i'm many o. the harmless
snakes. " Calmette made the impor-
tant discovery that the poisonous prin-
cinle IN the blood On snakes is not the
natural venom. The blood living
hud. has acted upon IT and produced.
either directly from II or by the stimu-
iation It set up. a different chemical SUBJ
stance-a substance which, FOR instance.
was destroyed al n temperature that did
not alter the natural venom. The i'm
munlty Of the blood OF these creatures
was not due to the presence in II Of
small quantities Of poison. but 10 the
presence Of different substance. Among
higher animals there are considerable
natural differences in susceptibility 10
venom. Pigs and mongooses. both crea-
lures which hafiiually dcvour reptiles
when they have the opportunity. are nat
uraily Immune 20 their venom. NJ Cal
mettc made experiments upon the horse.
the blood Of which IS naturally highly
resistant TO the action OF various venoms
and toxins In his final process horse
is inoculated with half n lethal dose.
After short period the blood reacts to
the stimulation OF the poison and ac-
ouires n certain measure OF immunity.
The horse Is now able to withstand a
iethal dose, and its blood acquires a still