New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-10
NATIVE SNAKE-BITE CURES.
MODERN SCIENCE ANTICIPATED IN
INDIA, EGYPT AND GUIANA.
lNOCULATION WITH VENOM PRACTISED FOR
GENERATIONS THE POISON TAKEN INTO
THE STOMACH. TOO-AN ANALOGY
AFFORDED by ZEE STINGS.

THE STOMACH. TOO-AN ANALOGY
AFFORDED by ZEE sTINGS.
The use Of anti-ver onous serum az a remed!
for snake bite by Professor Camette OF TIT
Pasteur institute in Lille. and by Professo
Fraser. of Edinburgh. is generally regarded a.
a natural sequence OF Pasteur's hydrophobii
treatment and the discovery Of an antitoxir
for dph,heria. 1t is not unlikely. though. tina
the two Investigators first named may have
been inspired by other examples also. recen
article in The London Standard" mentions
practice long in vogue among the Indians ant
Creoes of Dutch Guiana AS safeguard
against the poison of serpents. these people
make an incision in ones arm and rub int
the wound a connection composed chiefly Of th'
juice OF certain plant and the pounded hea(
/ Of 4 rattlesnakc. \ treatise on the snakes o
East India. printed in 1870 is cited to show tina
Burman snako-catchcrs evince no dread o.
cobra bites. While the application OF vege
table pulp. chewed Up to make it moist anc
plastic is the ,strn,.hle cure employed. the
author Of the treatise expresses the opinion ina
immunity is really secured by a secret method
gradual incubation with cobra-po!son.
1t is suggested. though. that protection
against orc kind Of snake does not necessarily
insure safety from others. a native Of Burmah
who handled the cobra without hesitation. was
exceedingly cautious about picking up some
one elsc's viper. Says The Standard" DIR
Stradling Is living witness to the truth Of tbs
theory OF inoculation for snake bites Not Ions
ago he told an interviewer that he was con
WINGED that a generally cfcacious antidote was
rot possible. but that by allowing rattlcsnak"s
To bite his arm. and thus inOcuating h!msc IT,
he had proved that the human body could b,
protected against the severity Of the poison.
Two points Of difference between the Fraser
Calmctte system 81 incubation and that just
referred to may be noted in passing. Th'
modern method OF treatment Is t. administer
only a single sub-cutancous injection. instead
OF a series Of them. ana to employ blood serum
taken from animal that has first been ron
derod immune. and not the venom itself Ih'
horse COW or rabbit from which the serum Is
taken is however. subjected 10 a succession Of
carefully graduated doses in order to hrinG
about the desired condition The latter process
is too tedious 10 be- i. sirahlc in dealing with Il
human subject For several reasons it is much
better to dispose II a case with one operation.
as in inoculaiing against smallpox
Another Illustration Of the protection afforded
10y small quantities OF poison introduced into
the system in this manner is afforded 10y the
experience Of b,.ko opcrs. \ man who had been
in charge II an apiary for a long time once t".i
an English investigator that wn.n he first
entered upon his duties h. was lad up for COY
eral days by the intense inflammation due - the
stings but hr soon became Indifferent - ~"
venom In citing this case Tie STANDARD"
says: "In proof u this. the bcckc per cinpti' d!
one hive into another in the presence II Mr.
Evans. He had 10 protection over his hands
and face and was stung several times during
the few minutes spent in thc operation. Except
for the sharp prick e thu actual ting. ~ suf-
f,r,d no in ELECTS" Several other u stances
Of the kind are mentioned in Ui5 connection.
But whether the poison ~ The l"c or serpent.
or serum from an immune animal. j." employed
In these voluntary AID Involuntary NEGOTIATIONS.
il will be observed that o." agent Is Introduce j
into the blood not into the stomach. iiu, a.
long ago as 1886 The Lancet" a BE-. % "."i.-
cal Journal mentioned a practice q Tho latter
character. \ contributor 10 that publication
declared that his curiosity had been eNc,i. Il hy
D. covering IN South Africa that ,at"e ahi
horses frequently died from SNAKE bite Will"
the natives nd not sem To- b. seriously ID IN
vcnIcaced thereby. Upon looking into ia" mat
ter. he found that he people were in the habit
Of extracting the poison rl"ud from the snake
Immediately ii is killed. aud squeezing 1t into
their mouths and drinking tine secretion. There
by they seem To acquire absolute immunity
from snake bites"
Therein. no doubt. lies the secret II the snake
charmcr's f-arlcssness says "The SiaLiarI'
"IIassc.guist. whose account ~ his journey to
Palestine was compiled and published by his
friend and master. Limo gave tn following
conclusions as 10 serpcnt-charming In Egypt IN
his dav The art IL known only to certain
raulili.s who hand 1t down to their descend ants.