minutes it grow listless and drowsy, but pecked a few grains corn when roused up, and began to scratch the wound. In half an hour it had shaken off its lethargy and
of
appeared
lively
before. Another dose of the poison of about the same quantity was reintroduced through the same opening at 9-30 a.m. In 5 minutes it was affected. The drowsiness began to increase till at 10 it was in a critical state and was found gasping. Nitrite of
as
,
iii? mixed with
aruyl,
throat the
a
little at
was
chest
still
some
It
water,
poured down its long in dying, and
was
seemed very a.m.
opened immediately after contracting. The blood that flowed
after
soon
time.
ceased at 10?
respiration
The
a
was
death. out
Heart
coagulated
the spot.
on
was examined under the microscope at 4 p.m. The corpuscles were found shrivelled and indistinct, and the nuclei not well defined. No. II.?7th July, 4-25 p.m.?A solution of the same poison
A
was
drop
of blood
made with alcohol of the
strength
allowed to settle, it separated into
of grs.
v
to
5
When
v.
portions, a fluid and a thick white precipitate. lwenty drops of this mixture (fluid and solid) were injected into the left thigh of a Towl. Drowsiness appeared in i of an hour, when it seemed paralysed in that leg. Nitrite of amyl, ui iii, with n xv of water, It became comatose, was then injected into the right thigh. and the head drooped. The injection was repeated after half an
two
hour, but it remained in the same state till 6 p.m. when or 3 slight convulsive starts.
it died with 2
opened after death. The right heart was contracting ; the blood coagulated soon after with the poison exposure. The thigh which had been injected whilst the puncture of nitrite of was very much ecchymosed, amyl was scarcely distinguishable. All the tissues of the body smelt strongly of the drug. The chest
was
dilated and still
No. III.?To determine that death was not the result of the medicine injected, I introduced the same quantity of nitrite of amyl with the hypodermic syringe into the thigh, of another fowl, but it showed no bad symptom, and remained active as ever. No. IV.?15 drops of the solution of the poison wera mixed up with m v of liqr. strychnise, and then injected into another fowl, convulsions set in almost immediately, and it died in 20 minutes with occasional convulsive fits. The heart waa as
found
firmly
contracted.
due to strychnia. No. V.?5-35 p.m.?10 n of the poison were mixed with ni x of papya juice and injected into the thigh of a fowl. The papya juice was coagulated in the syringe in flakes, but passed through the needle without any difficulty. The bird Death
was
became paralysed in that leg in half an hour; was drowsy, and died at 7^ p.m. with slight convulsions. No. YI.?ls? August, 9-30 a.m.?Same solution as before. 15 of the fluid poison were injected into the right thigh
Passed fasces immediately after, and ran off. In a fowl. 5 minutes it drew up its leg; in 10 minutes began to doze; in 15 minutes was unable to stand and lay down ; in 20 minutes of
jerking
movements
of head and
wings
were
noticed.
The
respi-
ration became slow, and it died at 10-10. was now filtered, and the white preoff the paper and mixed with 20of water. The whole of this was injected at once at 9-45 a.m. At 10 a.m. it showed no other symptom than slight dozing. At 10-10 lay down and closed its eyes; got up at 10*15 and passed some liquid faeces. The head began to droop at 11-80. 5ni of liquid bile were now injected, but it had no and
No.
with cobka poison. M.D., F.R.C.S. Roy, C. By G.
No. I.?5th June 1876, 8-40 a.m.?A portion of dried cobra poison (which was obtained from living animals on the 20th September 1874, and preserved tightly corked in a phial), about the size of a mustard seed, was introduced under the skin of the thigh of a middle-sized fowl through a small slit in the skin which drew just a drop of blood. In 10
minutes the animal showed
a
disinclination to
move.
VII?The solution
cipitate scraped
experiments
In 15
effect,
the
fowl died at 12 noon.
No. VIII.?m xv of the clear filtered liquid were injected into another fowl at 9 55 a.m. In 5 minutes it became
drowsy
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
314
lay down. In 10 minutes there were flapping of the wings and convulsive starts. At 10-15 it was dead. Chest opened. Heart was contracting irregularly. Eight auricle was distended with blood, which coagulated immediately after it was let out. The right thigh at the seat of puncture wa3 infiltrated with a gelatinous fluid, and was much congested. Remarks.?The above experiment?, futile as they may appear so far as the antidotes are concerned, tend to establish one point, viz., that the poison retains its virtue for a long time if properly preserved. The best way of preservation is to dry it in the sun, and then securely cork it up in a phial. If preserved in a liquid state it thickens, decomposes, and evolves an ammoniacal odour. In this condition I took a supply to England, and experimented with Dr. Richardson on rabbits, but beyond a Blight uneasiness which the animals exhibited, no other untoward symptom was observed. From this it appears that the poison loses its virtue altogether by decomposition, but even when dried, it is apt to deteriorate in efficacy to some extent, for as the experiments prove, its action is not then half so quick as it is and
when fresh.
The second point worthy of record is that the active principle of the poison remains in solution. It will be seen from experiments, Nos. 7 and 8, that in one tiie action of the poison was quick, and in the other long delayed, though the quantity used In was filtered from a solution 3 times as strong as the other. fact, if I had taken the precaution of washing the filtrate so as to
remove
all
particles
of the
liquid poison
which adhered to
it, I doubt whether the action would have proved fatal. As it is, death took place in 20 minutes in one instance, and in another it did not
occur
for
more
than 2 hours.
explanation is necessary of the antidotes which were tried in the several instances, for a random selection is not likely to prove effective. Arguing that the snake-poison is a secretion of the salivary gland, which in a healthy state is neutralized by the secretion of the gastric follicles and the liver, I thought of using pepsine and bile as antidotes. In my experiments on papya juice, I tried to establish the identity of the active principle of pupya juice, with pepsine, and hence the former was selected for trial. As my stock of poison fell short, I was unable to carry on further experiments, but I Some
would suggest
a
fair trial of both remedies to those who
are
in
a
carry it out. I hope to continue the investigation when I obtain a fresh supply of the poison from Lower Bengal, for cobras are rather scarce in this purt of the country, and the poison ia procured with great difficulty.
position
to
'
[December 1,
1876,
of
appeared
lively
before. Another dose of the poison of about the same quantity was reintroduced through the same opening at 9-30 a.m. In 5 minutes it was affected. The drowsiness began to increase till at 10 it was in a critical state and was found gasping. Nitrite of
as
,
iii? mixed with
aruyl,
throat the
a
little at
was
chest
still
some
It
water,
poured down its long in dying, and
was
seemed very a.m.
opened immediately after contracting. The blood that flowed
after
soon
time.
ceased at 10?
respiration
The
a
was
death. out
Heart
coagulated
the spot.
on
was examined under the microscope at 4 p.m. The corpuscles were found shrivelled and indistinct, and the nuclei not well defined. No. II.?7th July, 4-25 p.m.?A solution of the same poison
A
was
drop
of blood
made with alcohol of the
strength
allowed to settle, it separated into
of grs.
v
to
5
When
v.
portions, a fluid and a thick white precipitate. lwenty drops of this mixture (fluid and solid) were injected into the left thigh of a Towl. Drowsiness appeared in i of an hour, when it seemed paralysed in that leg. Nitrite of amyl, ui iii, with n xv of water, It became comatose, was then injected into the right thigh. and the head drooped. The injection was repeated after half an
two
hour, but it remained in the same state till 6 p.m. when or 3 slight convulsive starts.
it died with 2
opened after death. The right heart was contracting ; the blood coagulated soon after with the poison exposure. The thigh which had been injected whilst the puncture of nitrite of was very much ecchymosed, amyl was scarcely distinguishable. All the tissues of the body smelt strongly of the drug. The chest
was
dilated and still
No. III.?To determine that death was not the result of the medicine injected, I introduced the same quantity of nitrite of amyl with the hypodermic syringe into the thigh, of another fowl, but it showed no bad symptom, and remained active as ever. No. IV.?15 drops of the solution of the poison wera mixed up with m v of liqr. strychnise, and then injected into another fowl, convulsions set in almost immediately, and it died in 20 minutes with occasional convulsive fits. The heart waa as
found
firmly
contracted.
due to strychnia. No. V.?5-35 p.m.?10 n of the poison were mixed with ni x of papya juice and injected into the thigh of a fowl. The papya juice was coagulated in the syringe in flakes, but passed through the needle without any difficulty. The bird Death
was
became paralysed in that leg in half an hour; was drowsy, and died at 7^ p.m. with slight convulsions. No. YI.?ls? August, 9-30 a.m.?Same solution as before. 15 of the fluid poison were injected into the right thigh
Passed fasces immediately after, and ran off. In a fowl. 5 minutes it drew up its leg; in 10 minutes began to doze; in 15 minutes was unable to stand and lay down ; in 20 minutes of
jerking
movements
of head and
wings
were
noticed.
The
respi-
ration became slow, and it died at 10-10. was now filtered, and the white preoff the paper and mixed with 20of water. The whole of this was injected at once at 9-45 a.m. At 10 a.m. it showed no other symptom than slight dozing. At 10-10 lay down and closed its eyes; got up at 10*15 and passed some liquid faeces. The head began to droop at 11-80. 5ni of liquid bile were now injected, but it had no and
No.
with cobka poison. M.D., F.R.C.S. Roy, C. By G.
No. I.?5th June 1876, 8-40 a.m.?A portion of dried cobra poison (which was obtained from living animals on the 20th September 1874, and preserved tightly corked in a phial), about the size of a mustard seed, was introduced under the skin of the thigh of a middle-sized fowl through a small slit in the skin which drew just a drop of blood. In 10
minutes the animal showed
a
disinclination to
move.
VII?The solution
cipitate scraped
experiments
In 15
effect,
the
fowl died at 12 noon.
No. VIII.?m xv of the clear filtered liquid were injected into another fowl at 9 55 a.m. In 5 minutes it became
drowsy
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
314
lay down. In 10 minutes there were flapping of the wings and convulsive starts. At 10-15 it was dead. Chest opened. Heart was contracting irregularly. Eight auricle was distended with blood, which coagulated immediately after it was let out. The right thigh at the seat of puncture wa3 infiltrated with a gelatinous fluid, and was much congested. Remarks.?The above experiment?, futile as they may appear so far as the antidotes are concerned, tend to establish one point, viz., that the poison retains its virtue for a long time if properly preserved. The best way of preservation is to dry it in the sun, and then securely cork it up in a phial. If preserved in a liquid state it thickens, decomposes, and evolves an ammoniacal odour. In this condition I took a supply to England, and experimented with Dr. Richardson on rabbits, but beyond a Blight uneasiness which the animals exhibited, no other untoward symptom was observed. From this it appears that the poison loses its virtue altogether by decomposition, but even when dried, it is apt to deteriorate in efficacy to some extent, for as the experiments prove, its action is not then half so quick as it is and
when fresh.
The second point worthy of record is that the active principle of the poison remains in solution. It will be seen from experiments, Nos. 7 and 8, that in one tiie action of the poison was quick, and in the other long delayed, though the quantity used In was filtered from a solution 3 times as strong as the other. fact, if I had taken the precaution of washing the filtrate so as to
remove
all
particles
of the
liquid poison
which adhered to
it, I doubt whether the action would have proved fatal. As it is, death took place in 20 minutes in one instance, and in another it did not
occur
for
more
than 2 hours.
explanation is necessary of the antidotes which were tried in the several instances, for a random selection is not likely to prove effective. Arguing that the snake-poison is a secretion of the salivary gland, which in a healthy state is neutralized by the secretion of the gastric follicles and the liver, I thought of using pepsine and bile as antidotes. In my experiments on papya juice, I tried to establish the identity of the active principle of pupya juice, with pepsine, and hence the former was selected for trial. As my stock of poison fell short, I was unable to carry on further experiments, but I Some
would suggest
a
fair trial of both remedies to those who
are
in
a
carry it out. I hope to continue the investigation when I obtain a fresh supply of the poison from Lower Bengal, for cobras are rather scarce in this purt of the country, and the poison ia procured with great difficulty.
position
to
'
[December 1,
1876,
