The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-02-04
NO wH1sKEY FOR SNAKE BITES
DR.. Kelly of the Johns-Hopkins Hospita
So Declares
From the baltimore Sun.

From the Baltimore Sun.
DIR. Howard A. Kelly of the Johns Hop
klns Hospital, who was bitten by rattle
snake while showing some of his poisonous
pets to the Johns Hopkins Medical So
ciely, suffered no Inconvenience or bad re-
suits from the wound. The RATHER, which
was a large-sized one of the diamond back
variety. punctured DIR. Kelly's third finger
of als right hand with its fang. There
was no doubt that the fang made a deep
puncture, but there was no evidence of
redness about the wound or any indication
that anything but a clean instrument had
made the punctme
DR.. Kelly says he drew away his hand
so quickly that the snake had not time to
inject dts venom into the wound after it
had struck. The act of biting is accom-
plished in two movements by the. snake;
first, the striking, by which the fang is in
serted into the flesh, and second move
ment, which congresses the poison sac and
elects the venom. DR.. Kelly says he felt
no more pain than if he had been pricked
with good-sized pin. Realizing instantly
what 1t meant, he drew away his hand.
He is naturally quick of movement, and
in addition says he is always looking out
for such accidents while handling his
snakes.
Another thing in DIR. Kelly's favor was
the fact that the snake had struck at him
while he was putting 1t in bag at his
home to take 1t to the Hospital for the DEM
onstration. 1t has been found by expert
ments that a poisonous snake will empty
its. venom sac when it strikes, and that 1t
REQUIRES considerable time for the poison
to be secreted and the sac to be again tled:
Repeated bites are found to be successaVely
m 10 nnzSihlp that
This snake expended all dts poison when 1t
first struck at DR.. Kelly, so that IS bite
lacked. virulence when 1t was hnany IN
ficted..
Dr. Kelly took no precautions after pelng
hitten other than TO evacuate the WOUND
NV sfcling and by squeezing it, He TOOK
no afrtddoae or counter-poison. Inc DOCTOR
has positive ideas about the use OF WHISKY
as an antidote fer snake poison. lie says
that he is firmly convinced that more per
sons who die after being bitten by podSofl-
Gus snakes are killed by the whisky they
drink than by the snake poison. IT, Is d
common notion that it lis Impossible TOT a
person to get drunk who has been piuNen
by a snake. Acting on THAT theory, a pint
and in. some cases a quart of whisky mas
been given as an antidote. DR.. Kelly says
that the whisky is poison, and taken In
such quantities would produce death any
way without THE snake bite.
That the Imagination can have no serious
erect upon PERSONS pltlth ny ShdhcS 10 III
Kelly's opinion. Although fright may en-
sue, he says this could not in itself cause
deleterious effects unless the snake venom
aactualy gets into the system of the bit
ten person.
One result of DIR. Kelly's snake bite will
be the killing of all his poisonous snakes.
They will be photographed and then care
fully killed and their bodies preserved in
alcohol DR. Kelly takes this measure for
fear of danger to some member of his fam
lily in his home, where he keeps the snake,
in boxes. His harmless snakes will be kept
alive as pets but when he wants to make
a further study of the poisonous varieties
he will secure a new supply, probably next
summer, when his children are not in the
house to run into danger.