was

able to talk much better.

and the Doctor

Brandy was continually administered, kept walking about between two friends until the arrived, which was about half-past three in the morning,

man was

On careful examination, Dr. Nicholson assured them there were no unfavorable symptoms, and the man was allowed to go to bed to sleep off the effects of the rather too-stimulating treatment. A

post-mortem examination of the snake proved him to bo

a

harmless

necessary for the secretion of poison. The moral of this is, that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and that a knowledge of Natural History might have prevented a

species,

devoid of the

glands

great deal of unnecessary anxiety."

Every case of reputed recovery from snake bite, in which the species of the snake has not been ascertained, ought to be rejected as utterly unfit for purposes of scientific induction. Yet it is extraordinary how many of the cases adduced in proof of the efficacy of this or that remedy or antidote present this fatal We stated in a review of the report of the Indian Snake Poisoning Commission in our number for November last that, in

defect.

by Professor Halford of support of the method of treating the snake bitten which he recommends, it does not appear that the bite was due to a poisonous snake. It appears that Dr. Halford has now collected 42 cases. "We have not seen a detail of these, but it is to be hoped that they are of a more exact and conclusive character. A correspondent of the Melbourne Argus points out that there are about 80 species of snakes in Australia, and only about 6 of these venomous. The necessity of determining the species of

fourteen out of twenty-one cases adduced Melbourne in

THE TREATMENT OF

SNAKE-POISONING

IN

AUSTRALIA. No tion

study demands greater caution and discriminating observathan that of the effect of remedies in snake-poisoning.

The fallacies which false inferences are in be

drawing perfectly

so

are

apt to obscure the subject and lead to

numerous

conclusions.

In the first

place, it

is necessary to

certain that the bite has been inflicted

by

a

poison-

curious how often this simple and -very essential precaution is neglected. The occurrence of symptoms of poisoning, after having been bitten by a snake, by no means a proves that the animal which inflicted the injury was of Abundant experience has demonstrated that venomous species. nervous disturbance the most severe and apparently dangerous harmless a of reptile, while the perfectly has followed the bite ous

snake.

symptoms

It

is

due to

merely correspondent,

were

kindness of

a

fright.

"We

have, through

been favoured with

bourne papers, in one of which the this fact, is reported :?

following

a

the

file of Mel-

case, illustrative of

The ease is extracted from the Melbourne Herald of the 26th of snake bite occurred at Dookie North a few days sincOj had a favorable termination. It appears that a farmer, named Michael Toohey, was in the act of lifting a 6plit rail, when a snake, about 5 feet in length, sprung up and bit him on the but

A

ease

fortunately

knuckle on the left forefinger. Nothing daunted, steps to terminate his snakeship's existence, and

Toohey first took having accomplish-

the wound, and went into the township for further advice. Here the wound was incised, and a ligature tied round the wrist, and he was plentifully supplied with

ed that set to work

vigorously sucking

appeared to get worse, and a brandy. Under this treatment message was despatched to Benalla for Dr. Nicholson. In the meantime Mr. DeSoyres, of Dookie South, arrived on the scene, and administered ammonia, and, as Toohey appeared very drowsy and difficult to rouse, and his friends were getting very anxious, he deterhe

Having a proper syringe, he twenty minims, according to Professor Halford's

mined to inject ammonia into the vein.

injected

about

instructions, into tific manner.

In the second

a

vein at the bend of the elbow, in

This had the effect of

rousing

the

a

very scienand he

patient,

place,

it is not every bite

by

a

poisonous

snake

that is accompanied by the injection of venom. The bite may be a mere scratch or simple wound. It is necessary for the snake to close its jaws upon a part in a particular manner to act; or the snake may have These considersomehow before biting. ations must be taken fully and fairly into account. The Indian

for the

poison apparatus

exhausted its

venom

Snake Commission found that bitten

by

about 25 per cent, of dogs Professor Halford's experience

only

Australian snakes die.

raises the percentage to

75, but even this leaves a wide margin of ineffective bites, and it must be remembered that dogs are held to be bitteu, aud that the chances of the bite being effective are higher than with human beings, who present smoother and flatter surfaces of skin, and are ready to snatch away the bitten member on the earliest sensation of

pain. place, every effective bite is not necessarily fatal. Symptoms may arise and grave symptoms, but it is certain from experiments on dogs that a quantity of poison, insufficient to cause death, may give rise to serious symptoms, In

February. "

the snake is therefore obvious.

that the utmost care is necessary

so

the third

serious that not the most skilled shall be able

whether death will of

poisoning

ensue

may take

or

place

this circumstance renders it

not.

Recovery

without the aid of a

to

say

from such a

degree remedies, and

matter of extreme

determine whether remedies have been of the of apparent cure. any In the fourth place, it is very seldom that one

difficulty slightest use

to in

case

remedy only is employed in such cases. Usually a multiplicity of means are adopted?sucking the wound, excising or cauterising it, ligature, brandy, ammonia and physical stimulants. To which of these " expedients is the cure to be attributed, or has each had a share in its accomplishment ? Finally, the very remedies employed are apt to give rise to " An Australian paper shrewdly remarks that in symptoms, "

"

THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.

162 many of the cases the

patients "are not poisoned but drunk potations of brandy usually given." "The men have tumblers of neat brandy poured into their stomachs. One man is described as swallowing a bottle and a half of neat alcohol, and it certainly says much for the remedial effects of ammonia in one direction that it instantly brings round from the liberal

the creatures who have endured such

a

shock

as

that, to say

no-

thing of the preliminary excision of the wounded part, and the following scarification. In two cases?and these where the patient had been, without doubt, bitten by the most poisonous of our snakes?it is admitted that the symptoms were simply those of drunkenness ; and this of course confirms the conclusion of the

Commission, that to be bitten by a poisonous snake is one thing, and to be poisoned is another." The same paper also very pertinently remarks that the instantaneousness of most of the reputed cures throws a great doubt on their genuineness. Such being the difficulties which surround this subject, it is of the utmost importance that the cases of reputed recovery from the bites of poisonous snakes should be subjected to Indian

the most rigid criticism, and it is clear that the accumulation of

imperfectly-observed

cases

rather

impairs

the

strength

of

conclusion than otherwise. "We are glad to see that a spirit of scepticism is arising in Australia regarding the propriety a

"

placing implicit reliance on Dr. Halford's reputed cure" for snake bite, and a desire to subject the matters to the test The Medical Society of Victoria has of accurate experiment. to appointed a committee investigate the subject, and ?500 have been placed in the hands of Professor Halford for the purpose of prosecuting experiments and researches. We aro sorry to observe that this gentleman exhibits a spirit of arrogant imof

patience

of criticism and an irritable contentiousness which

are

unfavorable to the calm weighing of the very important problems in question. He is

quite

mistaken in supposing that there exists any other

in India than a desire to arrive at the

feeling cordially

endorse the statement which

of the Indian Medical

truth,

and we most

Surgeon-Major Amesbury,

Service, is reported to have made at the Society of Victoria, namely, that if the use of ammonia?intravenous or otherwise?is proved to be of benefit in the treatment of snake-poisoning, the profession in India will be only too glad to adopt it. meeting

of the Medical

[June 1,

1875.

The Treatment of Snake-Poisoning in Australia.

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