The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-10
NOTES OF BIRD AND BEAST.
TESTS OF sNhKE VENoM As A
REMEDY ron SNAKE BITES.

A south American Ranehman's war o.
Fumn--Uses = Hunter Find- Tor n Piece
OF strinE-Ths Oid-tins Rine Praised
Above Modern wenposs-Luck or Fisher
men and Heaters ssrhounds In the
Adirondack- Reported 60 ne Rtn,.r
Derr-Thc Slaughter ct Mig Game.
The deadly character OF the venom from some
snakes, such rs the cobra, has led white men
TO make exhaustive aud continuous expert.
mcnts TO determine wherein che dcpdly quail.
ties are. and particu. arly thor cure. In a
series Of articles now running In Nature on
'lmnuhisation against Serpents' Venom and
the Treatment OF Snake Bite with Antivenenc,"
Thomas Il. Fraser tells Of the Introduction
OF the poison into tho stomach as q remedy
for a poisoned flesh wound. In an article in
tho Lancet in 1885, Afford Bolton said that
the natives Of Bushmanland. Nanaqualand,
Dumaranland, and Knlakkari were in the habit
OF extracting the poison gland from a snake
Immediately after IL was killed. squeezing II
In their mouths. and drinking the secretion.
They believed that thereby they acquired abso-
lutte Immunity from the effect OF snake bitos.
These natives, wandering rs thoy do in the
snake infested brushwood. almost naked. are
stunR repeatedly, but suffer none OF the effects
experienced by white men. Bolton saw a ma
tive put his hand into a box containing two
yellow cobras, and several horn and night
adders. He was bitten severely. hut consid.
cred snake bites trivial. He was q venom
drinker.
DR.. knobel OF Pretoria writes TO Mr.. Fra ser
that Bushman shepherds swallow small guam
Titles OF the dried venom glands Of s~erpents,
getting protection therefrom, they say. Ex-
pcriments have been made with the glands to
find out why tho poison does nos get into the
snakes system and kill II, but the results have
not been reported.
The venom is an intoxicant, but differs from
other intoNicanfs, like whiskey and opium, in
requiring no more poison after the tenth drink
to produce an eleventh, than 1t did to get the
first, IL fixed quantity always serving.
Dir. Laurence of Cape Colony tells of a young
man,. Kaftir boy. who was bitten by a puff
adder on the leg. The mans father killed
the snake, cut out the poison glands. and made
small paper pellets, which were dipped into the
poison. These pellets the boy swallowed.
The boy suffered no evil effects from the pois-
oned wound, hut the Doctor confirms DIR.
Knobel's statement of the intoxicating power
OF the poison.
The immunity OF snake charmers of India
and other regions is thought to be explained,
for they are known not only to inoculate them
selves but also to swallow the fresh venom or
dried poison glands. Mr.. Fraser says Of his
experiments in Introducing the venom into the
etOmach:
These experiments seem TO. throw a new
light upon the clearly established protection
possessed by venomous serpents against their
own venom. They suggested the Importance
OF determining II the blood serum Of venomous
serpents contains, as does that of artiicially
protected animals. All actual substance possess-
ing anti. vencmous properties"
1t was proved that stricken animals could
be saved by the introduction Of the poison into
their stomachs. Tho blood serum Of some
poisonous serpents. at any rate. contains anti
yenomous substances, as was proved by mix
ing the blood serum with the venom of an
Australian black snake and injecting II under
the skin of a rabbit. Half a cubic centimetre
to each kiloRramme of the blood serum was suf-
ticient. Whether the blood serum would serve
in the case of an American rattlesnake is q
matter Of doubt. for IL is known that the ~rattlers,
II angered, often sting themselves and die.