The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-10-05

SOUL pioIIS, Ool %ASS ~ NNN10
poison that it takes a vast number to
furnish the doses necessary to lnocu-
late the horses and it is difficult to
get enough serum.
During my walk through the iabora-
tory I 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 doc
tor replied that he did not believe
that the common hog would eat a rat
tlesnake. He said a he had not
found it so in Brazil. Not long ago
he starved a hog for three days and
then put it in a pen in which were
some ~rattlesnaRes. The rattlesnakes
bit the hog and their bites did not
seem to affect it, but the hog did not
eat the rattlesnakes nor attempt to
do SO.
Another question I asked was IS to
the use Of the maidstone, which many
people believe can be placed on a
snake bite in such a way that it will
suck the poison out OF the blood Of
the nan who is bitten. The doctor
laughed and said this was ridiculous.
as was also the theory that the drink
ing of whiskey was IN antidote for
snake poison.
to think that snakes are vicious or
vindictive, or hat they will attack
people of their own accord. On the
other hand, they are timid and will
run away if possible. They only at
tack one in self-defense. In this con-
n~ection during my stay l saw n OF
the guards lifting rattlers and other
venomous snakes about in the snake
city. He carried them on an iron
hook here and there and hit them no
the back with the hook, without their
coiling or attempting to strike him..
DR.. Brazil says that the poison Of
the snake in the glands accumulates
very slowly. It takes the reptile about
fifteen days to store enough to do
damage, and the longer after hat he
can be kept without biting the more
poison there is in his glands. For
this reason the bite of a snake is fal
more venOmOus at some times than
at others. The snake has the poison
glands as a means Of getting his food.
He could not kill his prey without
them and therefore he has to wait al
least fifteen days from n meal tc
main a year without food.
In looking at the snakes I was
shown some of their eggs, and as WI
looked the doctor said hat it wa:
only the non-pOisonOuS snakes tina
laid eggs. The poisonous snake.
breed their young inside them.
saw also the foot Of a man which
was sloughed off from a snake bite
poison to kill, but it Sc affected tn.
y foot that it dropped off at the end Q
a week The man brought the foo
: in his pocket to the hospital.
I asked the doctor how the serum
was injected and he replied hat j
uyo~ ~r% ,~la~ &ho III o~ -oor A.
bite as possible and as oon after tn
\ bite as possible. 1t should be mad
5 within twelve hours following tn
bite, as there are certain snakes i
. Brazil whose bite kills in ,tWenty-fou
hours or less. The serum is furnishe
II to h public in sealed tubes and
: will keep as long as the tubes are un
u opened. After hat it must be used q
Il once. A minimum price is charge
e to those who can afford to pay, but
- is sent free to the hospitals and t
u the very poor. The director ofte
gives lectures at the institution show
e ing the people how to take car {
= themselves in regard to snake bite
y y In these talks he demonstrates tn
~ danger of going ~barefooted by havin
q a man come in with a piece of raw
- hide wrapped around his leg and a
- lowing a poisonous snake to bite I'M
e this. The man is not hurt. The do
=. tor tells me that out in the countl
= IS per cent of the people go bar
- footed n that the most of the snail
-, bites come from their stepping on II
80 snakes with their bare feet.
Re -
S. Later on we went into the labor
e. tory and I was shown the famo1
is harmless snake, known as the mu
is surama, which not only does not bi
man, but which lives upon and swa
i'd lows up all the poisonous snakes
in can get hold Of. This snake the do
ne tor took from one Of the cages in Il
e wall Of the laboratory. It was of
steel-blue color, the scales being bea
lie tifully marked. It was as tall as m
of self. DR.. Vital Brazil wound
is, around his arms and then handed
lal to me. l held the squirming snake
n nv hands. while it darted ont