The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-12-16
BITE OF THE RATTLESNAKE.
Backwood Remedies Endorsed BY
Science.
New York Sun.

Now and then SCIENCE Col'Iil Ills
some of the old-wife medical super
stitions of the backwoods. For IN
stance the "yarb' doctor and old
women of rattlesnake regions say
that when man gets over rattle
snake bite he has trouble in the
wound every year afterward.
Pathologists and PSYCHOLOGISTS who
have studied snake poisons agree
that this is true, only the trouble
doesn't occur every year. 1t happens
whenever the system gets out OF Or
der
The explanation is simple. Snake
no;son has the effect Of destroying
tissue. OF course, it has the strong
est effect in and about the wound
where the poison, in its. course
through the veins. has not ye: been
diluted by the blood.
Ever afterward that IS weak
point in the system. Any little dis
turbance in the blood tends to break
out at that point OF the wound
When this happens the old wives
saw that it is the poison working II
is not of course. 1t is only the
excess poison OF the body working
in the weak spot.
There was a case OF this klnd WIFI
2 rather unusual history IN the colo-
rado hospital a few years ago. Inc
,atient was a scout who had helped
the army make way for civilization
in the Rockies.
The Utes, Arapahoes and other
Indians of that region were mostly
unsupplied with guns in those days.
but they had most effective K1no
Of poisoned arrow They would
catch bundle of rattlesnakes and
taking fresh buffalo liver would
make the serpents strike in it until
the poison glands were eShaeseeq
and the meat reked with venom
After that they would leave the
liver IN the sun until it became
putrid. Into this mess they woulo
dip their war arrows. 1t made a
nasty poison.
With such an arrow the scout was
struck in the leg. 1t carr1ed' OF
course not only he snake venom
h,,+ ali kinds OF possibilities of blood
poisoning. By good luck hrst
rate army surgeon was at hand. tie
saved the scouts lite.
This happened in the ~oring. Every
spring after that the mans !eg "0''a
break out with sores and bo'!s ana
other sundry Affections. 1t looheu
as though the case were proved ioS
the witch doctors.
The physicians went INTO the n'e
h;storv Of the patient and found that
:c,,y before he stopped the poisoned
arrow he had been afflicted win
hroat;rr OFT every spring. He w"s
one Of those people who load Up OF
animal diet all winter end need
cleaning out when the season breaks,
+ had merely settled in tire weak
SPOT Next year he attended to MS
liver earlier and had no tnrthcF
trouble.
IN the treatment OF rattlesnake
b;tes the rough and ready physicians
of the backwoods scored again on
the modern scientist. In spite OF
analvsis and laborious experiments
and government prizes, the treat
ment discovered by the pioneers
when New York was wilderness IS
still standard.
Cut the wound, suck it out, burn
or cauterize the spot and keep the
natient drunk on whiskey until the
danger is past. Medical men nave
tried all manner of substitutes, but
cone back to the original method
The sucking, Of course, is to get
out as much poison as possible; the
cauterization prevents local 'n'e'-
t;on and the whiskey keeps the heart
Going in it's task of clearing up the