New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-06-14
THE POISON OF SNAKES.
Study Of the Effects in Seeking for
AntidOtes.
AntidOtes.


snake poison which is going on there
Upon lines that DR.. S. Weir Mitchell sug-
gested, DR.. Simon Flexner and DR.. H1deyo
Noguchi have been studying at the university
for two years the venom of cobras, rattlesnakes
and other poisonous reptiles. Highly interest
ing are the experiments that in the course OF
their work these two scientists have made
They believe that 1t is possible In time to ols-
rover for each kind Of venom an antldote.
The chloroforming OF q snake and the e1-
traction of its poison while 1t lies unconscious
are operations frequently performed and ln'ef-
esting to see, The snake is first seized with a
lasso about the middle. The lasso is leather
loop at the end of stick like broomstlck' ana
the tightening of the loop holds the snake
securely. After it is caught, its head is pinned
down to a table with notched stick that Is
pressed upon its neck. A tube one ana ohe-lidiii
inches in diameter, containing a sponge sat
urated with chloroform. is slipped over the
snakes head, as a glove is slipped on a hhger'
and the reptile is unconscious. All as
Instant then seizes it by the neck, ana Slips
The edge of a saucer under its upper Jaw IN
such a manner to elevate the TWO Idhs9
These fangs now lie as it were, upon the saucer
The operator takes them, one at time between
lae thumb and foreinger Of his right hand and
strips them forward-squeezes them, that is TO
saw from the base to the tip-and thus all their
venom is extracted. This venom, yellow ana
of the thickness of molasses, runs out upon the
saucer and it is gathered in a vial and sealed up
In the experiments with live animals that the
university carries on it is thought best to inject
he venom approximately, rather than to ailo"
the snake itself to do the injecting in the ordl-
nary manner with its fangs, because SNAKE
Loes not always strike effectively. Sometimes
Il fails to elevate its fangs sufficiently to inject
Ito it's victim more than a drop or t"c OF
NOM Sometimes it strikes hercely ana It's
teeth are actually fastened for moment III the
lnimars flesh but the fangs are doubled pack-
ward and not drop of venom is ln)eceeo inso
the wound. Yet, to all appearances, the pite
has been a terrible one, and an expermenter. ao-
1inistering to the wounded animal certain
,ntidote would decide that this antidote was
lmarvellously potent one-would hold II to nave
ured the animal immediately-when, as mat
'er of fact there would have been nothing the
natter with the animal from the beginning.
On small animals the effect of a small dose
of venom is almost Immediately fatal. pigeon,
for instance on receiving an injection OF three or
tour drops, walks few steps, croucheS, saspS'
rolls over on its side, and in one or two minutes
sometimes in less than one minute, is stone
dead
On a larger animal such as a dog, the poison
does not act so powerfully. A thirty-one pound
bull terrier was lowered into rattesnake
cage and was bitten the right leg, near the
thigh The bite was thorough one. The dog
whined little after it was drawn up moped
while and in fifteen minutes was so weak that
it had to lie down At the end of twenty-five
minutes it could rise when hidden, though 1t
was growing weaker. At the end of fifty min
Utes it had lost all power over its hind legs
At the end of eighty minutes its breathing was
labored. At the end of three hours it was dead
man-one of the attendants-was bitten by
ratter at the university by accident In
few minutes he became sick at the stomach ana
very weak His face paled cold sweat broke
out on him, his breathing was hurried, and his
pulse feeble This was the first stage OF the
attack and in 1t the wound itself gave no pain
In the second stage-the stage of recovery-the
typical. He was pulled through without trouble
The physicians experiments have shown so
far that the antidotes usually recommended for
snake bite are almost worthless.
They regard alcohol taken internally, as very
valuable-not antidote but as stimulant.
quantities Of Whiskey or brandy-two quarts,
say in an hour-without exhibiting sign of
drunkenness. On animals alcohol has been tried
as a stimulant with good effect In every case
it has done much to tide the victim over the
stage CT prostraion that follows the snakes
bite.
The remedial agent that is Of the greatest
known value Is the intermittent ligature-the
tight band. drawn about the wounded limb. that