The morning news., 1899-12-13

q
N.EEygg1usEs
ject of The snakes of North America He
will add to his collection from time 10
time for this purpose.
Effects of the Poison.
The work of DR. brown has been along
the line of the effects of snake poison and
an investigation of the methods for coun-
teracting it and curing the bites in human
beings. Like DR.. Kelly, he has lectured
before q Johns Hopkins class and they
have Joined their efforts in an article 10
be published in a forthcoming number or
the johns Hopkins Bulletin.
A brief description of the snakes prepa-
tions and apparatus for poisoning its vic
Tins is interesting as given by DR.. Brown.
The interior maxillary bone Is movable,
and by Its movement causes the erection
or reclination of the fangs. These fangs
when reclined are covered with a sheath
Of mucous membrane, in which lie several
reserve fangs in different stages of growth
which are designed to replace the work
ing fang if it should be shed or lost
through accident. The teeth are folded
upon themselves so as to form either an
open groove or more or less complete
tube. Secreted by a gland which opens
into the sac at the base of the fang, the
NcHOAu lows through the canal IN LNe
tooth to the point of the fang, whence it
enters the wound made by bite of the
snake.
The poisonous qualities of the various
snakes vary according to the climate
whether the snake is in a vigorous or weak
condition, the season of the year and the
temperature The poison acts rapidly on
warm-blooded animals, is deadly to cold
blooded as well and to the lowest forms
of life. A snake cannot poison itself or
any of its species and only slightly an
other genus of poisonous snakes. Inno-
cent snakes are poisoned quickly in some
cases, death being almost instantaneous.
Local and General symptoms.
symptoms of snake bite are local and
general. First is a rapidly appearing SWELL
ing of the affected spot, followed by an
appearance of spots of blood beneath the
skin, and this in turn by gangrene, with
or without pain. The general symptoms
are extreme prostration, general paraly-
sis, especially of respiration, a tendency to
hemorrhage, violent diarrhoea and vomit-
ing. Even in those patients that recover
local paralysis in different parts of the
body and pain may persist for long time.
Death is usually caused by paralysis of
respiration.
The poison itself is slightly turbid, yell
lowish fluid, odorless, and whether liquid
or dry 1t is soluble in water. The dried
substance resembles dried white of egg
All the venoms, with one exception, and
their solutions may be subjected to the
temperature of boiling water without en-.
treiy losing their poisonous properties.
Treatment of Snake Bites.
OF the treatment of snake bites, Dr.
Brown says
Before the growth of our views regard
ing serum therapy and Its application to
.tF1r rfrsf u
ditions the best treatment for one who
had been bitten by poisonous snake was
legation around the limb, If the bite was
so situated, and it is so in "a per cent
OF the cases. Then followed incision, scar
itication or cauterizatiou of the affected
area and hypodermic injections of drugs
which tend to oXidise the venom. After
the wound had been thoroughly sucked or
cupped it was kept covered with compress
es of the same substance. Alcohol strych-
nine and ammonia, the most powerful
stimulants were given by the mouth to
eounteract the constitutional effects. BY
means of these modes of treatment un-
doubtedly quite a number of cases on the
border line, as well as cases treated with
in few minutes after the bite, have been
cured. But If the poison is in large
amount, or IL the time is great before help
Is given, all of these treatments have been
utterly unavailing.
1t Is only Within the past few years
| that an approach to a real cure has been
reached. With the development of the
| subject of serum therapy, and encour-
| aged by tho successful results obtained in
| many cases, notably dipththeria and teta-
nus, in counteracting by sera the poisons
| formed by bacterial growth, investiga tors
! in France and Great Britain have turned
their attention to the study of the pois-
ons formed by different varieties of snakes
! and their naturalization. All recent OBJ
| servers are agreed that an animal or per-
| son can be vaccinated against what would
! otherwise prove a fatal dose of snake pois-
on by the subcutaneous Introduction OF
! small nontoxic doses of poison. Both snake
| blood and snake bile are very important
remedies used by native Hindoo snake
! charmers and doctors, and too many WELL
| authenticated stories exist showing immu-
| nifty and cure to make it at all doubtful
that these persons have methods which
are of value.
Success of Serum Injections.
"Colneth, an investigator at the Pasteur
| Institute, in Paris, reports experiments
| which go to prove the immunizing effect
of the antitoxin for snake poison, as well
as its curative effect. Thus rabbits were
| inoculated with the antitoxin, and later
| given a fatal dose of snake poison with
out effect, while others died in sixteen and
| seventeen minutes from the effects of the
poison alone. Other experiments were
made by first giving the poisonous dose
and following it with the antitoxin, which
| counteracted its effects. Colneth concIud-
ed that animals may be immunized against
the venom of serpents either by means of
repeated injections of doses at first feeble
and progressively stronger or bV means