The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-07-15
latest ;saiiasss Aatldates far ,snake BIta.

i 1aisat Antidetes for Snake Bifs.
The Carnegis Institute has granted
$1,000 TO the pathological laboratories
| q che uniysFsity os Pennsylvania 10
aid in the investigation os snake
peisen which IL going on thsre.
/ upen lines that Doctor 8. Weir
Mitchell susgeassd, Doctor I Einoa
i szass and Doctor Hideyo Noguchi
have been etudying as the rniversity
Yos two yeers the verom &c I. ,c.oksss.
rasslssnakss and. other poisonous rep.
tiles. s Is,
Highly interesting are the expe,i-
ments that in che course Of their work
these two soisntists have made,
They believe that il is possible in
time to discover FOR each kind Of
venom an antidote.
The chloroforming of 4 snake and
the extraction OF its poison while, it
lies unconscious are operations fre-
Fquently performed and interesting 20
tsee.
The snake is first seized with e
lasso about che middle. The lasso
isa leather loop at aha end Of stick
like . broomstick, and the tighten
ing Of the loop holds the snake secure.
Fly. ssS
AS it is caught, its head is pinned
down to q table with notoLed stiok
that is presred upon its neck.
A tube one and one-half irches in
diameter. containing sponge satur-
ated with obloroform is slipped over
the snakes bead, as glove is slipped
on finger, and soon the reptile is un-
conscious.
AN assistant theu seizes it by the
neck and slips the edge Of q saucer
under its upper jaw in such a manner
1'a So 70 elevate the two fangs.
These fangs now lie, as it were.
upon the saucer. The operator takes
them. one at a time, between the
thumb and fore6nger of the right
shand and strips them forward
AsqueeEes them, that is to say, from the
sbase TO the tip-and thus all their
venom is extracted.
This venom, yellow, and Of the
\ thickness Of molasses, runs out upon
the saucer, and it is gathered in vial
and sealed up.
In the experiments with live ami
mails that the university carries on. it
Iis thought best TO Inject the venom
hypodermically rather than 70 allow
the snake itself to do the injecting il
the ordinary manner with its fanigps,
becanss . -:na@@sss does not always strike
effectively. Sometimes it fails TO
elevate its fangs sufficiently to inject
into its victim more than a drop or
two of venom. !.
Sometimes it strikes fiercely and its
teeth are actually fastened For mo-
meat In tho animals Resh, but 4 tthe
fangs are doubled backward and not
2 drop OF venom is injected into the
wound.
Yet, 70 al appearances, the bite
has Jeen terrible one, and az, ex.s
perimenter, 4 adminiataring e s.hsE
wounded animal q certain SaIntidote.
would decide that this anside.e .sas :,
marvelously patent one-wodid hold
it TO have cured the asi:sal Immediate
ly-when, as y matter of fact, there
would have been nothing the matter
with the animal from she beginning.
On small animals the effect Of q
small dose Of venom is almost inn
| Imesdiately fatal. a pigeon, for in
stance, on receiving an injection Of
three OF four drops, walks i few steps,
,ycrouohes, gasps rolls overon It's side,
and in one or two minutes, sometimes
in less than one minute, is stone dead.
On a larger animal, suoh as & dog,
the, poison does not aot 80 powerful
". A thirty-nine-pound bull terrier,
s,as lowered into a rattlesnake'a Gage
and was bitten on the right leg, near
the thigh.
The bite Was 9 thorough one. The
dog whined little after IL was
drawn up, moped awhile, and in fif-
teen minutes was so weak i. had Co,
lie down
At the end OF 1--WE nty.fyo minutes
is could sise when bidder, though it
was growing iaaaker. a. s..ss..s end Of
fifty minutes it had Lost all power
over hind lega. AT the end of eighty
minutea its breathing was iaboyed
sAalt Aat the end of three hours z 1t was.
dead.
A man one Of the attendants
bitten by 3 rattlsr at the university
B by accident. IN a f,ys m; nm Z ss 4 3 ~.