THE AUTO-TOXICITY OF SNAKES.

The latest contribution

to

the literature of

the pen of Dr. snake-poisoning Waildell, Deputy Sanitary Commissioner for Bengal. Finding, that there was a conflict of opinion upon the question as to whether from

comes

snakes

venomous

ing

its

solution, might possibly

for the

combating to

the

is,

result

upon the

Army

with Dr.

Those who

Waddell's

investigations,

need to be told that the far

enquiry,

of India."

conducted with

venom

on

and

contribution to the by Medical Officers of

this

Scientific Memoirs

the

and believ-

afford indications

the action of the

work

man, he set '

auto-toxic,

are

are

familiar will

not

task he undertook is

ability, scientific,

accuracy, and

opportunity afforded?thoroughness. prepared or not to endorse his the estimate of possible therapeutic value ot the investigations, we certainly must admit that the satisfactory elucidation of the point

so

as

Whether

we fire

has assumed

importance

a

?

scientific interest?it may light of the recent

in the

be, re-

Reichert and formerly claim. This

searches of Weir Mitchell and

Wolfenden, fact,

iu

it could not

some measure,

explains the crudeness

1

146

of

THE"INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE. methods of

previous investigator's

testing

the matter, to which Dr. Waddell lias drawn attention. As it is now proved that snakediffer

chemically physiological effects, it would venoms

and

in

their

be of consider-

able interest to learn

conclusively whether toxic to the are snakes themselves, and they whether the venom of one species is poisonous to a snake of another species. Dr. Waddell

if he extended

apply

his

experiments that this would species also. The question,

to other

whether

1889.

[May,

is fatal to innocent

venom

answered in the affirmative

snakes,

by Waddell,

thus confirms the observations of others

is

who

on

this

but still he remarks that

point, pythons

on

desirable.

are

is

and

absolutely

the rat-snake He

experiments on (Ptyas mucosus) that there

thinks, however,

that

doubt

no reason to

venom?

has very properly been at some pains to ascertain what has already been done in this direc-

in suitable doses?would be

tion, and has very fairly summarised the results.

A very interesting portiou of Dr. Waddell's report is that in which he deals with the ques-

In

conducting his experiments employed none but freshly-caught

Waddell

Dr.

snakes for the

purpose?a measure of the first importance? and adopted the more exact, and now generally method of

accepted,

hypodermically injecting

the venom, thus avoiding a source of fallacy might otherwise have vitiated the results.

them than it has

"

tion.

What

proved

immunity

cause

their

venom

says:?"In what immunity to be explained ? this I have at present only

to

what

ophidia.

of the ?"

nection he is

less fatal to

to be to other

is the

from

no

serpent's

In this

then,

manner, "

"

one

In

con-

answer

hypothesis before, it

which

to

He further verified his observations by control experiments and post-mortem examinations. So

would appear that the venomous snake does secure its immunity through auy peculiarity in general structure or physiology per se,

far, therefore,

his observations

as

there is not the

slightest

As to the effect of itself

its

or

room

are

for

concerned,

scepticism.

serpent upon Dr. Waddell, after

species, experiments

own

several

on cobras, thus summarises the results of his observations-

performing

be

"It will elements

when

that,

seen

the

suspicious

eliminated from the experiments

are

of Mitchell and of

the results

Fayrer,

are

in

accordance with those of the present series of experiments, and also with the recorded rough of Russell and

experiments cobras

biting

confirm and

extend

The Auto-Toxicity of Snakes.

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