The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-21
SNAKES MEDICINAL SERVICE
THE WAY THE RA7TLESNAKE'S
 POISON ACTS
And the eRemedtes-Exciting Encoun
 teIs With Rattlers and Others.

teIs With Rattlers and Others.
 | Peter Gruber, of Rochester, N. Y,
 whose skill and courage in handling
 venomous reptiles have given him a
 worldwide reputation, is just recover
 ing from the effects of his fourteenth
 rattlesnake bite. For several years
 Rattlesnake Pete" has held the theo-
 ry that, when one of the creatures suc-
 ceeded in sinking It's fangs into his
 flesh near an artery his career would 1 be abruptly ended, and last Saturday
 he had partial demonstration of his
 theory which was painfully practical.
 A large diamondb back rattler taking
 the veteran off his guard, pushed its needle-like fangs, laden with the dead
 ly venom, into Pete's left wrist just
 over the radical artery, which it pune tured. In less time than it takes to tell the story, the effects of the poison were felt even to the tips of his toes, and that, too, in spite of the fact that the artery was opened with a lancet in about thirty seconds after the poison
 ous weapons had pierced the flesh Ten seconds later Pete fell to the floor
 unconscious, and physicians say that a delay of only few seconds in severing the artery would have cost him his life;
 so potent is the poison with which na
 ture has provided these reptiles.
 It was the worst experience that Pete has had during the thirty years that he has handled snakes, but the acoi-
 dent has not dampened hls ardor one whit He admits frankly that the chances are that he will ultimately fall
 victim to one of the deadly creatures
 but he is not, he says with absolute
 confidence, taking any greater risks
 than many other men of the present
 day who are laboring to solve some of the problems of nature-for that Is
 what Pete is doing, and they do him an injustice who say that he Is handling
 these dangerous reptiles for notoriety or for the mere sake of bravado. He
 believes that everything was made by the Divine Creator for some purpose beneficial to mankind, and that not even the serpent is an exception to this law. He asserts that he has already attained some measure of success by discovering the wonderful medicinal properties of the rattlesnake, AS soon as he is entirely recovered from his se- were injury he will continue his re- searches along these lines with re- newed energy.
 This fastidiousness which people have about snakes" said Pete a few days after he had left the hospital is all nonsense. For me it's genuine pleasure to handle and study ahe rep tiles, and I'm ass proud of the bit of paper presented to me at the last snake show in New York, which certt1es that I'm the most skilful handler of poison- ous snakes in this country, as any col lege lad Is of his sheepskin. Thirty years ago I saw an old Indian woman in Pennsylvania kill rattlesnake and since then my interest in them has nev- CT Jagged It's only recently, though, that I've become convinced of the won derful medicinal properties in the crea-s lures. You've heard, no doubt, that cure goitre by applying my snakes, and in view of the recent exaggerated re- ports about the treatment l don't mind telling you my method
 .'The cannibal snake from Florida, which is non poisonous and which kills it's victim by crushing it. is the most satisfactory one to use for this opera ton If the patient Is a lady I select the best looking snake in the lot and accustom her to 1t by allowing her to pet it. Then, holding the head and taH of the creature behind the patients head, I let 1t coil slowly around her neck, watching closely so as to break the knot which the snake attempts to form at regular intervals. When it is first applied, the serpent Is naturally cold and clammy, which occasions the only really unpleasant sensation in the operation. Soon, however, the reptile begins to absorb heat and when 1t is removed after an hour or so it's skin IS hot. It Is fact that women after the first application are not at all averse to the treatment. l don't know by what porcess the swelling is reduced, nor does anybody else, for that matter, all though the scientists in London and Paris who are discussing the subject may be able to offer some explanation. All know is that the cure Is effected, and that the snake invariably dies af- ter four or five applications. Those who have investigated the matter say that exhaustion causes it's death"
 But how did you discover the heal ing properties of snakes?'
 "'The cure for goitre is not an entire- ly new one; it was employed by the Indians many years ago. Indeed, it would be we'll for us if we devoted more attention to some of these old Indian remedies. They used the cast-off skins of rattlesnakes for poultices and the oil from the fat along the backbone for sprains and deafness. I've tried both remedies with success, and, so far as I know, I'm the Standard oil company with respect to the latter article. There's another Indian remedy which I've never tried, but would try if the opportunity presented itself. They say that a positive cure for consumption Is afforded by eating the heart of a rat tlesnake while it's beating. Such a would, of course, be rather dis agreeable to take, but If the heart of a rattler doesn't taste worse than its flesh, it could be swallowed without much effort I never ate rattlesnake but twice. The first time was in Dem yer, Col, In 1885, and there's an inter- esting little story connected With the occasion. At a banquet given to me by a famous rattlesnake fancier by the name of Harry Davies, we picked out the plumpest one in the bunch, and, as guest of honor, the task of slaughter