East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-07-23

About this time of the year many
people are going to the mountains.
Some are deferred from taking such
a trip for fear of such dangers as
poison oak and rattlesnake bites.
The best plan, of course, is to take
care not to get bitten. The rattle
snake has much worse reputation
than he deserves. He always gives
warning, and he always tries to get
out of the way. However, supposing
you happen to get bitten, what next?
The following suggestions are given
\ by the Los Angeles Times:
The action of snake poison is so
frapid that it is, of course. impossible
! to take the ordinary hygenic meas
ures for eliminating poison from the
! body. You can't very well take a
I sweat bath, after you are bitten, as in
\ 99 cases out of 1919 you are likely to
be long way from any conveniences
of the kind. Anything that is done
z must be done quickly In this, as in
other cases, person whose system
! is in good, sound clean condition has
\ a much better chance of recovery than
one whose blood Is full of poison, or
= whose heart has been weakened by
overindulging in alcoholic or nicotine
j or any other drug.
So many more or less simple reme-
1 dies for snake bites have been pub
lished that the public is apt to be-
y come confused.
few days ago a correspondent
\ wrote of sample cure, which he says
4 man told him he had seen tested
four times with perfect success. 1t Is
4 merely the application Of common
wash blueing which comes In balls,
y powdered. First. the flesh is cut open
between the two points where the
fangs have entered, and then the blue
ing applied. 1t is said 1t will imme-
diately turn green as the poison Is
drawn from the wound. 1t Should
then be scraped off, and applied fresh,
the application being continued until
the poison is all drawn out, and the
blueing no longer turns green. II this
4 works as 1t is claimed, 1t is because
indigo, OF which the indigo is made
Is a very strong alkali, thus counter
acting the action of the acid poison
4 OF late years, however. imitation in
digo has been made by a chemica
process. which was formerly though
to be impossible. Whether this, also
~ is strongly alkaline is not known.
4 Alcohol Is no Cure.
The poison OF rattlesnake, yer!
- strong acid, acts by paralyzing tn
heart. For this reason 1t has beer
u customary to pour a large amount o
alcohol down the throat of persol
who has been bitten. This is now rec
4 ognized as a bad practice. Some per
sons who have been bitten have un
. doubtedly died of alcoholic poisonin
~ when they might, perhaps, have recov
~ cred from the rattlesnake poison
& oHwever, many will doubtless con
tinue to favor whisky as an antidot
- lust as in linda they take a litti
~ brandy In the water, ostensibly to XII
N the microbes.
~ As stated, to counteract the acid
snake poison. a strong alkali Is use'
Such an alkali is permanganate
II potash, which has grown In popi
larity during the past few years as
~ cure for snake bite. Among thos
who approve of this treatment-a
~ companied by other rational measure
j. is DR.. Samuel NJ. Slocum Of Los Ar
u geles. who was brought up In II
northwest, and has had much expe
" ience with snake bites.
~ He says he has successfully treat'
half dozen human beings and
couple dozen animals, by the methc
which he describes, anu thae hS 80
not lost a single case. 1t should
added, however. that this treatme
must be administered within haif
~ hour, or at the most an hour, OF
. bite. After lapse Of two hours
Hon case is considered to be almost hop
ther less.
10 This is the plan which DR.. slocu
any recommends:
va. Provide yourself with the folio
ing: Two ounces 1 per cent soluti
rdt permanganate of potash, freshly pl
,ree pared and filtered; two ounces al
,rge matte spirits of ammonia; two ount
the stronger ammonia U. S. p; one SIN
sco. lancet; two buckskin ligatures thii
heir inches long and thre inches in wild
yna- and II possible, hypodermic syrln
rI