Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-03

countries would be of no good in ours
Each country needs its own institution
and to make the serum from its own
snakes or of those of other countries
which are Of about the same nature
For this reason the venom of Asiatic
snakes which will counterfeit the bites
of European vipers is useless against
the bites of the Bothrops or Crotalus
serum from a snake poison would be
of no use against a scorpion poison or
against the venom of spider. Dr.
Brazil is now experimenting with scor-
pions. but they have so little poison
that 1t takes a vast number to furnish
the doses necessary to inoculate the
horses and 1t is difficult to get enough
serum.
During my walk through the labora
tory 1 asked the doctor as to the hog
and the RATHER, saying that on our
farms in Virginia we sometimes put
hogs~to eat up the rattlers. The doctor
replied that he did not believe that the
common hog would eat rattlesnake
He said that he had not found it so IN
Brazil Not long ago he starved a hog
for, three days and then put it in pen
in which were some rattlesankes. the
rattlesnakes bit the hog and their bites
did not seem to affect it. but the hog
did not eat the rattleSnakes nor a.
tempt to do so.
Another question I asked was as to
the use of the maidstone. which many
people believe can be placed on
snake bite in such way that 1t Will
suck the poison out of the blood OF
the man who is bitten. The doctor
laughed and said this was ridiculous.
as was also the theory that the drink
ing of whisky was an antidote LOT
snake poison.
DR.. Brazil says that 1t is a mistake
to think that snakes are vicious or
vindictive, or that they will attack
people of their own accord. On the
other hand. they are ttmid and Will
tack one in self-defense. In this con.
nection during my stay 1 saw one OF
the guards lifting rattlers and otner
venomous snakes about in the snake
city. He carried them on an iron nook
here and there and hit them on the
back with the hook. without their COLI
ing or attempting to strike him.
Dr. Brazil says that the poison OF the
snake in the glands accumulates very
slowly. 1t takes the reptile about nj
age, and the longer after that he can
be kept without biting the more poison
there is in his glands. For this reason
the bite of a snake Is far more veno-
The snake has the poison glands as
means of getting his food. He could
not kill his prey without them and
therefore he has to wait at least M
teen days from one meal to the other.
He can. il necessary. remain a year
without food.
In looking at the snakes 1 was shown
some of their eggs. and as we looked
the doctor said that 1t was only the
non-poisonous snakes that laid eggs.
The poisonous snakes breed their
young inside them. l saw also the foot
of a man which was sloughed or from
a snake bite. In this case there was
not enough poison to kill. but 1t so at
fected the foot that it dropped on at
the end of a week. The man brought
the foot in his pocket to the hospital.
X
I asked the doctor how the serum was
injected and he replied that II was ;pue
under the skin as near the bite as pos
sible and as-soon after the bite as pos
sible 1t should be made within twelve
hours following the bite. as there are
certain snakes in Brazil whose bite
kills in twenty-four hours or less. The
serum is furnished to the public in
sealed tubes and 1t will keep as long
as the tubes are unopened. After that
1t must be used at once. A minimum
price is charged to those who can at
ford to pay, but it is sent free to the
hospitals and to the very poor. The
director often gives lectures at the in
stitution showing the people how to
take care of themselves in regard to
snake bites. In these talks he demon
strates the danger of going barefooted
by having a man come in with a piece
of rawhide wrapped around his leg and
allowing poisonous snake to bite into
this. The man is not hurt The doctor
tells me that out in the country rs per