The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-27
STRANGE DISCOVERY,
The lille of n Serpent an Antidote
for It's Poison.

Another very effective agent for
overcoming the venom of serpents has
been discovered by Prof Thomas Fras-
ef, Of the University of Edinburgh,
says the New York Tribune. It is not
whisky, Wherewith Americans antago-
ME the poison Of rattlesnakes; nor is
1t NJ Calmette's antitoxic serum, OBJ
tanned from the blood of animals
which have been rendered immune by
successive NEGOTIATIONS with small
quantities of venom. The new anti
dote in nothing more or less than the
serpents own bile. In reporting a SER
les of elaborate experiments conduct
ed by himself, Prof. Fraser recently
said:
The bile from the gall bladder of
the African cobra, puff-adder, rattle
snake and grass snake was used, and
each bile was tested against the venom
OF the African and the Indian cobra.
For the most part the experiments
were made by mixing various uuanti-
Ties Of each bile with a little more
than the minimum fatal dose of a
venom, and then injecting this mixture
under the skin Of the animal The
object of the experiments was not only
to determine if the bile can render
venom innoeuous, but also, if it have
TINS power, what is the smallest GUAM
tlty or bile capable Of doing it,
having recounted the various doses
Which he employed, and their effects
ne thus summarized the result: eft
was thus shown that the bile of ven
oflous seroents is able, when mixed
with the venom of serpents. to nrevent
lethal doses of the latter from Droduce
ing death, and that the bile is, indeed
so powerful an agent in doing this
t1at a quantity actually smaller than
Inc quantity of venom many be suf-
Ilc1ent for the purpose. 1t need scarce
~ De added that the doses of bile Tins
SHOWN to be sufficient represent onIv
minute portions of the bile stored in
the gall bladder of a serpent. and that
SERPENT, therefore, has at its dis
posaI enough to prevent injury from
venom introduced into the stomach in
quantities many times greater than
the minimum lethaI"
The bile Of harmless serpents was
also tested and found to be effective
though in a less degree The same So
cFetlon from an animal like the OK was
made the subject Of other experiments
IL was even less powerful than the bile
OF 1nnocuouS snakes, and about ONE
seventh as strong lin it's antitoxic in
11uence) as the bite of the cobra or
asp. But if enough of it were used if
"ouuo overcome fatal dose of the
poison.
DR.. Fraser found that he could iso-
late the particular element in q. ser
pents bile which has this surprising
property, so that the antidote can be-
prepared for the market in very com
pact form. And the process of manu-
facture is probably quite as simple as.
ana perhaps more rapid than, that Of
M. Calmette
Precisely how he obtained his elew
the Edinburgh savant does not saw
BUT he incidentally remarks that SOM
OF the native snake doctors in Africa.
nave remedy compounded of several
substances, of which one is snake bile
and they are accustomed to administer
1t not only by introducing it into the
patients stomach (where it is probobIv
without effecD. but also by rubbing
it into the wound, where it would be
absorbed into the blood. 1t is probable
therefore, that this wonderful provision
Of nature, which compels a serpent tn
secrete IN one part Of its system a cure
for the poison that it secretes in an
other, has long been known in some of
those countries where the information
is most likely to prove beneficial TO
n a.