The morning times., 1896-05-24
BITES'OF VENOMOUS SNAKES
fcopyright. 1896,


ssuzsu OR tile past rive years Dr. Calmette
of the Pasteur Institute in Paris
has been diligently studying poi
sonous snakes.
He has at last established facts
In regard TO the action and nature
of snake venom, which bid fair to do for
the victims OF the serpent even more than
Pasteur has doae for those bitten by the
mad dog. His Investigations have led 20
the discovery of a new anti-veDomous
serum, an absolute antidote TO the poison
of any snake. He has also made clear
the way in which both venom and serum
act upon the system. Burning snake
bite with a red-hot iron. cauteriZing by
means OF lunar caustic, or cutting away
the flesh around the wound with a knife
he has proved to be almost useless.
When a person is bitten the poison goes
into the system with marvellous rapidity,
and these methods are useless If even u few
minutes have elapsed after the bite. DR.
CalInette repeatedly inj ected a mortal dose
OF venom into the tip OF o rats tail, ard
less man a minute after ward cut off the
tan close 10 the body. The rat in every
Instance died from the effects Of the venom.
II Il very vascular part is bitten, death en-
sues very quickly. a rabbits ear is full
of veins aud an injection OF cobra venom
into the marginal veins will Kill the animal
almost Instantly. Ilu man beings are
much more capable Of resisting the POISON
than most animals. Even after the bite
of q hooded cobra death rarely ensues
i'll ii man before three hours have elapsed
The new anti-yeDom acts by neutraliziug
the poison which has been introduced into
the system.
The serumis absorbed into the system just
as rapidly as the snake venom, and uf-
less paralysis has already set in will render
the poison entirely harmless. It's action
is exactly like that OF anti-toxine in diph-
theria and the serum is procured in siTni-
lar way. The blood OF horse which has
gradually been accustomed To doses OF
venom becomes laden with great quantities
OF the anti-toxine OF snake poison. A
dose of venom sufficient 10 kill four hun
dred horses can be supported by such an
animal withoutany i'll effects, and the serum
from its blood is an absolute aUtidOte to
the poison OF any venonlous snake
Many more deaths occur from snake bites
than is usually supposed. The deadly cobra
of India alone kills annually more than
10000 people. These are the figures gath
cred by statisticians and the unrepOrted
deaths would probably swell tie total very
greatly. In colder climates, where people
wear thicker clothes and the snakes are
not so deadly, deaths from snake bites are
comparatively rare. They are, however;
numerous enough to make an absolute anti
dote very welcome. Europe possesses
fewer poisonous snakes than any other
continent, yet the yearly total of deaths
caused by serpents is quite large even
there. In two departments OF France 32I
people were bitten By snakes in 4 period
OF five years. sixty-two cases being fatal.
DR. Calnlette is sending his anti-venom
all over the world to be distributed among
physicians. The Pasteur Institute in
Chicago will be the distributing point
for the United States. There is DO kno wn
chemical which by injection into the sys-
tenn can nuilify the effects of snake venom.
Chloride of lime and chloride OF gold are
the niost efricaciOus, but their action is
very uncertain. II over half an hour has
elapsed after the bite, they ar ealways use
less. The anti-veuOmOus serum will Deu-
tralIZe the poison two hours after the bite,
and in ne case Of the less poisonous snakes
after a much longer interval.
For many years scientists have been
trying 10 find out the exact chemical Ia
ture of snake poison. So far they have
been unsuccessful II has been proved 10
consist OF three distinct substances. but
nobody knows very accurately what they
are The first substance is said 10 be
peptone, which has very slow action. and
produces liberation locally. The second
is some vlrUlent matter which causes
great infiltration OF blood when injected
into the tissues; the third is OF an al
buminous nature. and is not apparently
poisonous in itself Boiling heat destroys
the poisonous qualities of snake venom
When concentrated by removing the aibu-
men and retaining the salts. the reSiduun is
forty times more poisonous tran the normal
venom. II is then the most powerful
poison known. and enough of it could he
put INTO a thimble TO kill twenty-five thou
sand people.
Tire only living creatures known which
are proof against snake poison are snakes
themselves. Pigs possess great powers
OF resistance to the poison, ard so does
the mongouSe OF India, which feeds upon
venOFnOGs snakes. y Non goose. though
not so big as a rabbit, viii only succumb
to a dose OF poison large enough to kiR
eight rabbits. Dr. Caimette had six mon
gooseS at his little menagerie in the town
OF Lille, France. aud he discovered that
the animal kills the terrible cobra and
escapes Aiury only by its wonderful quick
ness. and is not proof against the bite OF
its dangerous prey.
The snake charmers of India have long
used method OF gradual inocuIation of
snake poison in order TO make themselves
proof against accidental bites from their
snakes. They only partially accomplish
this, however, because some of them are