The Secret Of Bigfoot Valley Gertrude Chandler

Warner download

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-of-bigfoot-valley-
gertrude-chandler-warner-46331714

Explore and download more ebooks at ebookbell.com

Here are some recommended products that we believe you will be
interested in. You can click the link to download.

The Secret Of Bigfoot Valley Thomas Girard

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-of-bigfoot-valley-thomas-
girard-47345880

The Secret History Of Bigfoot Field Notes On A North American Monster

John Oconnor

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-history-of-bigfoot-field-
notes-on-a-north-american-monster-john-oconnor-175176692

Top Secret Sasquatch Exposing The True Nature Of Bigfoot And Its
Controversial Connections To Ufos The Fossil Record And Human History
Forbidden Bigfoot Part Two Lisa Shiel

https://ebookbell.com/product/top-secret-sasquatch-exposing-the-true-
nature-of-bigfoot-and-its-controversial-connections-to-ufos-the-
fossil-record-and-human-history-forbidden-bigfoot-part-two-lisa-
shiel-43364588

The Secret Of The Soul William L Buhlman

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-of-the-soul-william-l-
buhlman-44908810
The Secret Of Life Wellness The Essential Guide To Lifes Big Questions
Inna Segal

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-of-life-wellness-the-
essential-guide-to-lifes-big-questions-inna-segal-46816420

The Secret Of Light Walter Russell

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-of-light-walter-
russell-46845646

The Secret Of Staying In Love John Powell

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-of-staying-in-love-john-
powell-49140074

The Secret Of Time Reconfiguring Wisdom In The Dead Sea Scrolls 1st
Edition Arjen F Bakker

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-of-time-reconfiguring-wisdom-
in-the-dead-sea-scrolls-1st-edition-arjen-f-bakker-49493624

The Secret Of Cypriere Bayou Bayou Bodyguard Jana Deleon

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-secret-of-cypriere-bayou-bayou-
bodyguard-jana-deleon-50432150
 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
The Natter-Jack (Bufo calamita), in which the digits are palmate at
the base. When irritated it contracts its skin and covers itself with a
white frothy exudation, which gives off an odour of burnt powder.

The Green Toad (Bufo viridis), which is especially abundant in

Southern Europe, the Levant, and North Africa.

The Musical Toad (Bufo musicus), a species distributed throughout

North America as far south as Mexico, and in which the back is
covered with pointed conical tubercles resembling spines.

The Brown Pelobates (Pelobates fuscus), common in the

neighbourhood of Paris, the skin of which is almost entirely smooth.
Although it appears to be nearly destitute of glands, this animal
secretes a very active venom, which has a penetrating odour and
kills mice in a few minutes, producing vomiting, convulsions, and
tetanic spasms of the muscles.

The toxicity of the venom of toads was long ago demonstrated by

the experiments of Gratiolet and Cloëz.154 It is manifest only in the
case of small animals, and in man merely produces slight
inflammation of the mucous membranes, especially of the
conjunctiva.

That this venom preserves its toxic properties for more than a year
in the dry state was shown by Vulpian, and satisfactory studies of its
composition and physiological action have been made by Fornara,155
G. Calmels,156 Phisalix and Bertrand,157 Schultz,158 Pröscher,159 and S.
Faust.160

Toad-venom was prepared by Phisalix and Bertrand in the following

manner: Holding the head of one of these batrachians under water,
they expressed the contents of the parotid glands with the fingers or
with a pair of forceps. They repeated the same operation with a
second, and then with a third toad, until they had sufficiently
impregnated the water, which serves to dissolve the venom. In this
way they obtained an opalescent, acid liquid, which they filtered with
a Chamberland candle under a pressure of from four to five
atmospheres. There remained on the filter a yellowish substance,
with a highly acid reaction and partly soluble in ether and
chloroform, while there passed through the pores a clear, reddish,
and slightly acid liquid, which on being evaporated left behind a
greyish-white precipitate. This precipitate was separated by filtration,
washed in water, and redissolved in absolute alcohol or chloroform.
The albuminoid matters were thus separated, and the liquid, after
being rendered limpid by filtration, was evaporated away. The
substance obtained in this way represents one of the two active
principles of the venom. It acts on the heart of the frog, and arrests
it in systole. It assumes the appearance of a transparent resin, the
composition of which roughly corresponds to the formula C119H117O25.
It is the bufotalin of Phisalix and Bertrand, and is probably identical
with that obtained by S. Faust, the formula of which, according to
the latter author, is said to be C11H23O5.

Bufotalin is readily soluble in alcohol, chloroform, acetone, acetate of

ethyl, and acetic acid. When water is added to a solution of it in
alcohol it is precipitated, giving a white emulsion, which has a very
bitter taste.

From the aqueous extract whence the bufotalin has been separated,
it is possible to separate a second poison, which acts on the nervous
system and causes paralysis. In order to obtain it in a pure state, the
extract is treated with alcohol at 96° C., filtered and distilled; the
residue dissolved in water is defæcated with subacetate of lead and
sulphuretted hydrogen. The solution thus obtained is successively
exhausted with chloroform to extract the cardiac poison, and with
ether, which removes almost the whole of the acetic acid. The
second neurotoxic principle, called bufotenin, remains in the residue
of the solution after being evaporated in vacuo.

Toad-venom, therefore, contains two principal toxic substances:

bufotalin, which is of a resinoid nature, soluble in alcohol, but
scarcely soluble in water, and is the cardiac poison; and bufotenin,
which is readily soluble in those two solvents, and is the neurotoxic
poison.161

Pröscher, on the other hand, has extracted from the skins of toads a
hæmolytic substance, termed by him phrynolysin, which possesses
all the properties of a true toxin and is not dialysable. It is obtained
by pounding the skins with glass powder in physiological serum.

Phrynolysin dissolves the red corpuscles of the sheep very rapidly,

and (in order of sensitiveness) those of the goat, rabbit, dog, ox,
fowl, and guinea-pig. The red corpuscles of the pigeon, frog, and
toad are scarcely affected. When heated at 56° C. it loses its
properties. By the ordinary methods of immunisation it is possible to
obtain a very active antilysin.

There is, therefore, a very close analogy between the venoms of

toads and salamanders. These highly complex substances are
composed of mixtures of poisons, some of which are in all respects
analogous to the vegetable alkaloids, while others are closely related
to the microbic toxins and snake-venoms.

In the spawning season the cutaneous glands of the male toad are
gorged with venom, while those of the female are empty. Phisalix162
has shown that at this period the venom of the female is
accumulated in the eggs, which, if extracted from the abdomen at
the moment of oviposition and dried in vacuo, give off in chloroform
a product that has all the toxic properties of cutaneous venom
(bufotalin and bufotenin). No trace of this poison is to be found in
the tadpoles.

B.—Lizards.

The Order Lacertilia includes only a single venomous species, which

belongs to the family Lacertidæ, and is known as the Heloderm
(Heloderma horridum, fig. 124). It is a kind of large lizard, with the
head and body covered with small yellow tubercles on a chestnut-
brown ground. It sometimes exceeds a metre in length, and its
habitat is confined to the warm belt extending from the western
slope of the Cordilleras of the Andes to the Pacific. It is met with
especially in the vicinity of Tehuantepec, where it inspires the natives
with very great dread. It is a slow-moving animal, and lives in dry
places on the edges of woods. Its body exhales a strong, nauseous
odour; when it is irritated, there escapes from its jaws a whitish,
sticky slime, secreted by its highly developed salivary glands. Its
food consists of small animals. Its bite is popularly supposed to be
extremely noxious, but, as a rule, the wound, though painful at first,
heals rapidly. Sumichrast caused a fowl to be bitten in the wing by a
young individual, which had not taken any food for a long time. After
a few minutes the parts adjacent to the wound assumed a violet
hue; the bird’s feathers were ruffled; a convulsive trembling seized
its entire body, and it soon sank to the ground. At the end of about
half an hour it lay stretched out as though dead, and from its half-
open beak there flowed a sanguinolent saliva. There was no
movement to give any sign of life, except that from time to time a
slight shiver passed through the hinder part of its body. After two
hours, life seemed gradually to return, and the bird picked itself up
and crouched on the ground, without, however, standing upright,
and still keeping its eyes closed. It remained thus for nearly twelve
hours, at the end of which time it once more collapsed, and expired.
 Fig. 124.—Heloderma horridum.

A large cat which Sumichrast caused to be bitten in the hind leg did
not die, but immediately after being bitten the leg swelled
considerably, and for several hours the cat continued to mew in a
way that showed that it was suffering acute pain. It was unable to
stand, and remained stretched out on the same spot for a whole
day, unable to get up, and completely stupefied.

Interesting observations on the Heloderm have been made by J. Van

Denburgh and O. B. Wight. The saliva of this lizard was found to be
highly toxic at certain times, and harmless at others. When injected
subcutaneously it produces various effects, such as miction,
defæcation, and abundant salivation, with accelerated respiration
followed by vomiting. The animal drinks with avidity, and remains
lying down, in a very depressed condition. Death finally supervenes,
from arrest of respiration and also of the heart’s action. The poison
likewise acts upon the arterial tension, which falls very rapidly and
very markedly. The sensory nerves are also attacked; irritability is at
first increased, then diminished, and at last entirely lost. These
changes take place from behind forwards, and from the periphery to
the centre. The coagulability of the blood is at first intensified and
then lessened, as when acted upon by Viperine venom (H. Coupin).163

C.—Mammals.

The only mammal that can be considered to be provided with a

poison-apparatus belongs to the Order Monotremata, and is known
as the Duck-billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus paradoxus or O.
anatinus, fig. 125). The head of this animal is furnished with a kind
of flat duck’s bill, armed with two horny teeth in the upper jaw, while
the body, which is covered with dense fur, resembles that of a
beaver. The tail is broad and flat; the legs are short, and the feet are
provided with five toes, armed with strong claws and webbed.

This singular animal is found only in Australia and Tasmania. It lives

in burrows near watercourses, entered by holes which it digs in the
bank, one above, the other on the water-level. It spends much of its
time in the water, and feeds upon worms and small fishes.

In the males the hind feet are armed with a spur, having an orifice at
the extremity. At the will of the animal, there is discharged from this
spur a venomous liquid secreted by a gland, which lies along the
thigh, and is in communication with the spur by means of a wide
subcutaneous duct (Patrick Hill).164

It has often been proved in Australia that this liquid, when

inoculated by the puncture of the spur, may give rise to œdema and
more or less intense general malaise. Interesting details with
reference to the effects produced by this secretion have been
published by C. J. Martin, in collaboration with Frank Tidswell.165
 Fig. 125.—Ornithorhynchus paradoxus. (After Claus.)

When a dose greater than 2 centigrammes of dry extract of the

venom of Ornithorhynchus is injected intravenously into the rabbit, it
produces phenomena of intoxication analogous to those observed
after inoculation with Viperine venoms.166 Death supervenes in from
twenty-five to thirty minutes, and at the autopsy hæmorrhagic
patches are found beneath the endocardium of the left ventricle.

This venom has been studied afresh in my laboratory by Noc, thanks

to the acquisition of a small supply kindly forwarded to me by C. J.
Martin. Noc proved that it possesses in vitro certain properties of
snake-venoms; like the venom of Lachesis lanceolatus, it induces
coagulation in citrate-, oxalate-, chloridate-, and fluorate-plasmas.
Heating at 80° C. destroys this coagulant power.

Contrary, however, to what is found in the case of the venoms of

Vipera and Lachesis, the secretion of Ornithorhynchus is devoid of
hæmolytic and proteolytic properties.

Lastly, its toxicity is very slight, at least five thousand times less than
that of the venoms of Australian snakes. A mouse is not even killed
by 5 centigrammes of dry extract, and in the case of the guinea-pig
10 centigrammes only produce a slight painful œdema.

It has been remarked that the volume and structure of the poison-
gland exhibit variations according to the season of the year at which
it is observed. It is therefore possible that these variations also affect
the toxicity of the secretion (Spicer).167

By certain authors the poison of Ornithorhynchus is considered to be

a defensive secretion of the males, which becomes especially active
in the breeding season, and this hypothesis is plausible. In any case
it would seem that as a venom the secretion is but very slightly
nocuous.

It will have been seen from the papers quoted above that the
chemical nature and physiology of the various venoms, other than
those of snakes, are as yet little understood and need further
investigation.

The main outlines of this vast subject have scarcely been traced, and
the study offers a field of interesting investigations, in which the
workers of the future will be able to reap an ample harvest of
discoveries, pregnant with results for biological science.
 PART V.

DOCUMENTS.

I.—A few Notes and Observations relating to

Bites of Poisonous Snakes Treated by
Antivenomous Serum Therapeutics.

A.—Naja tripudians (India and Indo-China).

I.—Case published by A. Beveridge, M.B., C.M., Surgeon S. Coorg
Medical Fund (British Medical Journal, December 23, 1899, p. 1732).

“A strong coolie, aged 26, was bitten by a cobra on the right ankle,
just above the internal malleolus. He was brought to the surgery
about one hour after being bitten, in a state of comatose collapse.
The pulse was rapid, and the surface of the body cold. He was given
an injection of 10 c.c. of Calmette’s antivenene deeply into the right
flank. He was kept under observation: the paresis and insensibility
were very marked. On visiting him some hours afterwards I found he
could walk without assistance, but staggered, and complained of
weakness and pains in both legs. Next morning he was much
improved, the paresis gradually wore off, and the pulse steadily
gained strength. The patient returned to work four days later, quite
recovered.
“A few days previously a coolie had died after being bitten by a
snake under the same conditions, but without having been treated.
Occurrences like these point to the necessity that every Government
or private dispensary should be supplied with antivenene, which is
certainly the best remedy for snake-bite available.”

II.—Case reported by Robert J. Ashton, M.B., Kaschwa Medical

Mission, Mirzapur (N.W.P.).

“A coolie, aged 27, was bitten in the right foot by a cobra at 5.30
a.m., on September 16, 1900. Half an hour later 10 c.c. of
antivenomous serum were injected subcutaneously into the left
forearm. The patient experienced great pain in the foot, torpor, and
great weakness. Recovery, without complications.”

III.—Case reported by Dr. Simond (Saigon).

“Nguyen-Van-Tranc, an Annamese, aged 25, employed in the

Botanical Gardens at Saigon, was bitten at 10.30 a.m., on March 11,
1899, by a cobra which had escaped from its cage. The bite was
inflicted on the palmar surface of the index finger of the right hand,
and the fangs had penetrated deeply.

“This native, to whom a sensible comrade had applied a ligature

round the wrist, was brought to the Pasteur Institute three hours
later. He was drowsy, with drooping eyelids; his speech was difficult
and almost unintelligible. Deglutition was impossible, and
ingurgitated liquids caused vomiting. The hand was greatly swollen
at the seat of the bite, and the œdema extended to the forearm.
There was partial anæsthesia of the skin. As soon as the patient
arrived, I gave a single injection, beneath the skin of the flank, of
three doses of serum, that is, 30 c.c. In the evening I again injected
10 c.c. of serum. At 10 p.m. the general condition of the patient
seemed to be improving. Next morning he was less depressed,
spoke more easily, and was able to swallow. Convalescence began
from this moment; the œdema and numbness of the hand and arm,
however, persisted for several days.

“Recovery was complete on March 20. I have no doubt that in this

very serious case the antivenomous serum preserved the life of the
patient, since his condition was desperate when I saw him.

“This is the second instance within four months of the successful

treatment of snake-bites at Saigon by Calmette’s serum. In the
former case two natives were bitten by the same animal. One of
them, who permitted the injection of serum, which was performed
by Dr. Sartre, recovered; the other, who refused it, died within
twenty-four hours.”

IV.—Case reported by the Fathers of the Khurda-Mariapur Mission

(India).

“At 1 p.m., on October 31, 1905, a woman, aged 35, who had been
bitten by a cobra, was brought to us from Khurda. After being at our
dispensary for about an hour she became drowsy; she paid no
attention to anything that was said to her, and merely replied that
she felt sick. We thereupon injected 10 c.c. of serum. The woman
did not even appear to feel the prick when the needle was driven
into her calf. Immediately after this was done she dozed and went to
sleep. The pulse was feeble, and the entire body cold. We were
disposed to give a second injection, but, since we had only two
bottles left, we hesitated to sacrifice one of them. At last, after
sleeping for about half an hour, the woman awoke of her own
accord, sat up, and began to recover her senses. Bodily heat
returned almost immediately, and a few moments later the patient
asked to be allowed to go home; she was, however, kept at the
dispensary. In the evening she continued to complain of headache,
but on the following day she was able to walk, and was quite well.”

V.—Case reported by Dr. Brau (Saigon).

“Nhuong, an Annamese agriculturist, on passing through a piece of
waste ground beside the barracks, at about 5.30 a.m. on Sunday,
September 11, felt himself suddenly bitten behind the right knee. He
caught a glimpse of a large blackish snake, with all the
characteristics of a cobra, including the raised head and dilated
hood, gliding hurriedly away, but was unable to overtake it.

“The seat of the bite merely showed two small blackish punctures.
The part soon became painfully swollen, and the patient began to
feel giddy. Other natives came to his help; he was lifted into a
Malabar cart and brought to the Military Hospital, whence he was
sent to my house, where he arrived about a quarter past six.

“I entered the vehicle, and immediately drove with the patient to the
Pasteur Institute. The only treatment that he had received was a
ligature round the middle of the right thigh. The lower leg was
enormously swollen, and the swelling was not stopped by the slight
barrier formed by the ligature, but had already extended to the base
of the limb.

“The patient lay stretched out between the two seats of the vehicle,
with head thrown back and eye-balls turned up and ghastly. His skin
and extremities were cold, and his pulse was scarcely perceptible. In
order not to lose time, he was not even taken up to the first floor of
the Institute, but was carried to an inoculating table. He was then
made to swallow black coffee and rum, and was given an injection of
as much as six doses of antivenomous serum, which had just been
received from the Pasteur Institute at Lille.

“Under the stimulus of this injection, somewhat drastic I admit, an

absolute resurrection took place in the sick man. The pulse became
strong and bounding, bodily heat returned, and, although the
swelling did not at once diminish, its progressive extension seemed
to be sharply arrested, while the pain was also greatly lessened. The
patient was able to sit up without assistance, and relate the
incidents of his misadventure.
“In a few minutes time I thought it possible to have him taken to the
Choquan Hospital, the Director of which Institution, First-class
Surgeon-Major Angier, has been good enough to furnish me with a
note of the subsequent history of this case.

“’The Annamese Nhuong, who entered the Choquan Hospital on

September 11, suffering from snake-bite, was discharged on
September 20.

“’On admission, heat and puffiness were observed in the calf and
thigh. Slight dyspnœa, severe fever, tendency to coma. September
12, temperature 38°, 39·2° C. September 13, temperature 37·3°,
37·6° C. September 17, temperature 36·8°, 37° C.

“’On discharge, slight œdema and puffiness in the region of the bite.
General condition good.’”

VI.—Case recorded by Dr. Robert Miller, Bengal-Nagpur Railway

Company (Advocate of India, Bombay, January 15, 1902).

“On the evening of October 23 I was called to a coolie woman, who

had been bitten by a large cobra about 7 o’clock; some two hours
had already elapsed since the accident. The woman was, so to
speak, moribund, unconscious, and suffering from paralysis of the
throat, after having exhibited all the characteristic symptoms of
poisoning by cobra-venom. I immediately injected 10 c.c. of
Calmette’s serum, without any hope of a successful result, however,
so desperate did the condition of the patient appear. The effect of
the serum was marvellous; fifteen minutes later she regained
consciousness. I gave a fresh injection of 10 c.c., and three hours
after the first the patient was out of danger. Dr. Sen, my assistant-
surgeon, was present. I have forwarded a note of this case to Dr. L.
Rogers, Professor of Pathology at the Calcutta Medical College.”

VII.—Case recorded by Captain H. A. L. Howell, R.A.M.C. (British

Medical Journal, January 25, 1902).
“Shortly before 4 p.m. on November 17, 1901, Lance-Corporal G.,
Royal Scots, was bitten on the right forefinger by a snake. On being
brought to hospital, Assistant-Surgeon Raymond tied a tight ligature
round the finger, scarified the wound, and applied a strong solution
of calcium chloride. On my arrival I found the patient apparently
quite well, and not at all alarmed. As I could get no information as to
the nature of the snake, I injected into the patient’s flank at 4.30
p.m. 3 c.c. of Calmette’s serum, and sent for the snake, which was
the property of one of the men in barracks. The snake was brought
to me just before 6 p.m., and I found it to be a cobra about 3½ feet
long, of the pale-coloured variety that natives call Brahmini cobra. I
at once injected 7 c.c. of Calmette’s serum into the other flank. The
patient thus received one full dose of serum. The ligature was
removed from the finger, which was swollen and very painful.

“Up to half an hour after the bite the patient, a healthy and powerful
man, presented no abnormal symptoms: pulse, respiration, pupils,
temperature, and general appearance, all were normal. His pulse
and respiration began to increase in frequency, and the pulse
became very compressible, but quite regular. After the first injection
of serum his temperature was 98° F., pulse full, high tension, regular,
88, and respirations greatly increased in frequency. He now became
very drowsy, and had to be roused when the second injection of
serum was given. Soon after this the patient’s general condition and
pulse improved.... He had complete loss of sensation in the bitten
finger, in the part terminal to the site of the puncture, for some
days.... The injection of Calmette’s serum gave rise to no local
reaction, and caused no pain. It did not affect the temperature, but
was followed in half an hour by perspiration, which was very profuse
four hours after the injection.... The patient made a complete
recovery.... The serum used in this case was fresh, having been
prepared at Lille in July, 1901.”

VIII.—Note of case treated by Major Rennie, R.A.M.C., transmitted

by M. Klobukowski, French Consul-General at Calcutta, September 5,
1899:—
“A remarkable cure effected by Major Rennie, by means of
Calmette’s method, has just taken place at Meerut. Since the
introduction of this remedy three years ago, its efficacy has been
abundantly proved, but the present case is especially interesting,
since it seems to show that the serum can be successfully employed
even in cases apparently desperate. The well-known symptoms of
poisoning by cobra-venom were already so advanced that the
patient, who was insensible, was kept alive by artificial respiration in
order to give time for the serum to be absorbed and to take effect.

“The truth of the above statements is attested by six doctors, and is

also vouched for by the Commissioner and Magistrate of the military
cantonment, who, although not medical men, have, nevertheless,
had long experience of Indian matters.”

IX.—Case recorded by Binode Bihari Ghosal, Assistant-Surgeon,

Jangipur (“A Case of Snake-bite [Cobra?].—Recovery,” Indian Medical
Gazette, January, 1905, p. 18).

“While fastening her door about 10 o’clock one night a Hindu woman
was bitten by a cobra in the left foot, about 1 inch above the
metatarso-phalangeal joints of the second and third toes. About ten
minutes after the bite natives applied three strong ligatures, one
above the ankle, one below, and one above the knee-joint. Four
hours later ‘Fowl’ treatment was applied, which it appears gives
marvellous results. The author arrived about nine hours after the
accident, during the ‘Fowl’ treatment, for which nineteen chickens
had already been sacrificed. In spite of this the patient was pulseless
(no radial pulse—the brachial pulse was thready and flickering);
respiration about six per minute. An injection of strychnine improved
her condition for a few minutes. When the incision, which had been
made over the bite, was crucially enlarged, large quantities of dark
blood were withdrawn by cupping. In spite of this the patient’s
condition grew worse, and her respiration fell to three a minute; she
then received an injection of 10 c.c. of Calmette’s serum in the left
buttock. The pulse immediately became stronger, and respiration
increased to ten per minute. About half an hour after the first, a
fresh injection of 10 c.c. of serum was given in the same place.
Within five minutes the appearance of the patient, who had seemed
to be dying, became normal. The pulse grew stronger, and
respiration was about fifteen per minute. One hour after the
injections the patient was practically cured.

“The ‘Fowl’ treatment consists in applying directly to the wound,

after the latter has been slightly enlarged by means of an incision,
the anal apertures of living fowls, from which the surrounding
feathers have been removed. The fowl immediately becomes
drowsy, its eyes blink, and its head falls on its breast with the beak
open, after which the bird rapidly succumbs. Twenty fowls had been
employed in the present case, but in vain.” (The author does not
appear to have troubled himself to ascertain whether the fowls were
really dead, or had merely fallen into a hypnotic condition.)

X.—Case reported by Major G. Lamb, I.M.S., Plague Research

Laboratory, Parel, Bombay, October 18, 1900.

“Ten days ago I was bitten by a large cobra, from which I was
collecting venom. I had only some very old serum in the laboratory,
but I immediately gave myself an injection of 18 c.c. Three hours
after being bitten I felt faint, my legs became paralysed, and I was
seized with vomiting. In the meantime, fresh serum had been
obtained at a chemist’s, and I received an injection of 10 c.c. The
symptoms improved very rapidly, and an hour later I felt perfectly
well. I applied no local treatment, relying altogether upon the
serum.”

XI.—Case reported by Dr. Angier, of Pnom-Penh (Cambodia).

“At 11.30 one night in April, 1901, His Majesty, the second King of
Cambodia brought to me in a carriage one of his wives who, when
crossing the courtyard of the palace at about 8 o’clock, was bitten by
a snake, which she said was a cobra (in Cambodian Povek).
“The bite was situated in the lower third of the leg, in front of the
internal malleolus. The patient complained continually; she was
suffering greatly from the leg, which was swollen as high as the
knee. Great lassitude. An injection of 10 c.c. of antivenomous serum
was given, half in the leg and half in the flank. The wound was
washed, squeezed and dressed. Twenty minutes later the pain had
ceased, and the patient went away, feeling nothing more than a
slight dulness in the injured limb.”

B.—Naja haje (Tropical Africa).

XII.—Cases reported by Dr. P. Lamy, of the Houdaille Expedition.

“Lamina, a Senegalese, bitten on the outside of the left thigh, on

February 18, 1898. Treated with serum. Recovery.

“Momo Bolabine, bitten in the heel on April 20, 1898. Ten c.c. of
serum. Recovery.”

XIII.—Case reported by Dr. Deschamps, of Thiès (Senegal).

“In the month of October, 1898, I was called to a native, a local

constable, who had just been bitten by a Naja. The Ouoloffs of
Senegal are much afraid of the bites of this reptile, since they are
generally fatal. In this case the man had been bitten in the forehead
by a snake, which was coiled up in his bed, as he was placing his
head on the pillow. Being in the dark, he got up greatly frightened,
lit a candle, and saw the snake glide from his bed and escape
through the half-open door. I arrived a few minutes after the
accident; the constable already felt very weak, and complained of
nausea and of pains in the head and back of the neck. In the middle
region of the forehead I found two adjacent wounds, around which
the tissues were œdematous. I washed the wounds with a solution
of permanganate of potash, and had a telegram sent to St. Louis
asking for antivenomous serum. Half an hour after the bite, the
patient was seized with vomiting and cold sweats. At 6 a.m. on the
following day there was considerable œdema of the face and
dyspnœa, while the pulse was small and intermittent. The patient,
who had not slept, was dull and depressed. He vomited a little milk
which I tried to make him take. Forty hours after the bite the
patient, who was already paralysed, became comatose; the face and
neck were enormously swollen. The dyspnœa had increased; it was
difficult to hear the respiratory murmur; the pulse was thready, slow,
and intermittent; the skin was cold; the temperature, taken in the
axilla, was 35·8° C. At this moment the serum asked for arrived from
St. Louis. I injected into the buttock the only dose that I possessed,
10 c.c. The coma persisted throughout the evening and during part
of the night; at 6 a.m. on the following day, fourteen hours after the
injection, the patient awoke and said that he felt quite well. The
œdema of the face and neck had diminished, that of the eyelids had
disappeared. Three days later the constable returned to duty.”

XIV.—Case reported by Professors H. P. Keatenje and A. Ruffer

(Cairo).

“A girl named Hamida, aged 13, while picking cotton on October 7,

1896, at Ghizeh, near Cairo, was bitten in the left forearm by a large
Egyptian cobra, which measured 3 feet in length. She cried out, and
her brother and others who were working with her ran up. She was
brought to hospital by the police at 7 p.m. in a state of complete
collapse. She was almost cold, with upturned eyeballs and
imperceptible pulse. The forearm had been bandaged with a dirty
cloth, and the entire arm was covered with a thick layer of Nile mud
(a favourite remedy among the Fellahîn). Above the wrist two deep
punctures were clearly visible, evidently corresponding to the fangs
of the reptile. The patient, whose condition seemed absolutely
desperate, had no longer any reflexes; she was completely
insensible; the moderately dilated pupils scarcely reacted at all to
luminous impressions. Dr. Ruffer injected, with the customary
antiseptic precautions, 20 c.c. of Calmette’s antivenomous serum
beneath the skin of the abdomen. The child gave a groan while this
was being done; this was at 7.30 p.m. At 11 o’clock at night her
condition improved; the pulse was 140, and bodily heat returned;
the patient replied to questions that were put to her. A second
injection of 10 c.c. of serum was given in the flank. She slept for the
remainder of the night, and passed her water four times under her.
At 8 a.m. on October 8 she appeared to be out of danger. She took
food, and dozed throughout the day. On the 9th she was
convalescent. There were no complications resulting from the
injection, neither eruptions nor pains in the joints.”

XV.-Case reported by Dr. Maclaud, of Konakry (French Guinea).

“At 7.30 p.m., on June 22, 1896, there was brought to the Konakry
Hospital a native soldier, named Demba, who had just been bitten by
a snake. This man, who was employed in the bakery, was stacking
firewood, when he felt an extremely acute pain in the left foot;
simultaneously he saw a large snake making off; he succeeded in
killing it, and found it to be a black Naja. After having applied a stout
ligature to the limb, the injured man hastened to the hospital,
where, immediately afterwards, he fell into a condition verging on
coma. The body was bathed with cold sweat; the temperature was
subnormal; the pulse, which was small and thready, was 140. There
was difficulty in breathing, and severe vomiting. At intervals the
patient was aroused by spasms, and excruciating pains in the injured
limb, which exhibited considerable œdema above and below the
ligature. Tendency to asphyxia. I washed the wounds with 1 per
cent. solution of permanganate of potash, and injected a dose of
antivenomous serum into the subcutaneous cellular tissue of the left
flank. In view of the severity of the symptoms I gave two other
injections of serum, an injection of 3 c.c., followed by one of 2 c.c.
The patient dozed all night. Next day the general symptoms had
entirely disappeared. Two days later Demba returned to duty.”

C.—Bungarus fasciatus.
XVI.—Case reported by Surgeon-Captain Jay Gould (Nowgong,
Central India, British Medical Journal, October 10, 1896, p. 1025).

“On June 11, 1896, a punkah coolie was bitten on the dorsum of the
left foot, between the second and third toes. He had only the distinct
mark of an incisor, a very slight prick, with a stain of blood which
marked the spot. Within ten minutes we had injected 20 c.c. of
Calmette’s serum into the abdominal wall, after which we made a
local injection of a 1 in 60 solution of hyperchlorite of calcium. Two
hours after the injection the temperature was subnormal, the pulse
full and slow. Twelve hours later the patient was perfectly well and
walking about.

“The snake was a Bungarus, full grown, measuring 28 inches.

Unfortunately the syces killed it; it died the very moment I arrived,
so that I was unable to test its virulence.”

D.—Bungarus cæruleus.

XVII.—Case reported by Major S. J. Rennie, R.A.M.C., Meerut,

N.W.P., India.

“A twelve-year old Hindu boy, named Moraddy, was brought to me at

6 p.m., on July 10, in a semi-comatose condition, with commencing
paralysis of the respiratory muscles. I was told that the child was
sleeping on the ground, when he was bitten in the left hand. He
immediately felt very great pain and giddiness, and his arm began to
swell. Two small wounds were clearly visible, corresponding to the
marks of the fangs of a krait, or Bungarus cæruleus.

“The child had salivation, and ptosis of both eyelids. Respiration was
difficult, and deglutition impossible; the pulse was 110 and dicrotic.
The patient’s breathing was of an abdominal character; the surface
of the body was covered with cold sweat. The child soon became
lethargic and collapsed; his condition appeared absolutely desperate.
I gave a subcutaneous injection of 12 c.c. of antivenomous serum,
and commenced artificial respiration, which I continued for half an
hour in order to give the serum time to take effect. In forty-eight
hours the symptoms gradually disappeared, and the child became
quite well. Diplopia of the left eye persisted for a few days, but this
also entirely passed away.

“This case shows that, in Calmette’s antivenomous serum, we have a

very powerful remedy against snake-bites, which may take effect
even in desperate cases. It further proves that the serum will keep
for a very long time, even when exposed to all the vicissitudes of the
Indian climate, for the serum employed by me had been in my
possession for nearly four years.”

E.—Sepedon hæmachates (Berg-Adder).

XVIII.—Case reported by Mr. W. A. G. Fox, Table Mountain, Cape of

Good Hope.

“On February 9, 1898, I was summoned to the Town Council’s Camp

to treat a native who had been bitten by a berg-adder in the left leg,
just below the knee. I immediately injected a dose of Calmette’s
antivenomous serum in the left flank, and the wounds were washed.
The injection was given two and a quarter hours after the accident.
The patient was already very ill when I saw him, and I have no
doubt that, without the antivenomous serum, he would have died.

“On the following day he had recovered, and I saw him again three
months later; since then he has not experienced any functional
trouble.”

F.—Hydrophiidæ (Sea-Snakes).

XIX.—Case recorded by Mr. H. W. Peal, Indian Museum, Calcutta

(Indian Medical Gazette, July, 1903, p. 276).
“On April 1, 1903, at 7.30 p.m., a man was bitten at Dhamra, in
Orissa, by a sea-snake which had been caught in a fishing net. He
was not brought to me until 2.30 the next day, when he was in a
state of collapse, semi-unconscious, and unable to speak, with eyes
dull and almost closed. The bite was on the third finger of the left
hand, just above the first joint. The finger was swollen, tense, and
stiff. I gave the man an injection of 5 c.c. of antivenene ten minutes
after he was brought to me. Three or four minutes after the injection
the man with some assistance was able to sit up, and said he felt
much better. He complained of great pain at the back of the neck
and also in the lumbar region. He was able to speak fairly coherently
after a little time. His eyes were brighter and he seemed to be
aroused from his lethargy.

“I had about one hundred living sea-snakes with me, belonging to

the three genera Enhydrina, Hydrus, and Distira. He identified
Enhydrina valakadien as being the snake which bit him; so did the
men who were with him. The snake was said to be about 3½ to 4
feet long.

“The antivenene did the man so much good, that he himself asked
me to give him a second injection. This I gave him at 2.25 p.m. (5
c.c.).

“Date on bottle used, May 8, 1900.

“The pains in the joints had disappeared on the second injection

(which was given in opposite flank). At 5 o’clock the man walked
away with assistance. He was quite well a couple of hours after the
second injection, and when I saw him again on May 8 he was in
perfect health.”

G.—European Vipers (Pelias berus and Vipera aspis).

XX.—Case published by Dr. Marchand, of des Montils, Loir-et-Cher

(Anjou médical, August, 1897).
“About 11 a.m., on Friday, July 23, Jules Bellier, aged 26, was
mowing in a damp spot, when he was bitten in the heel by a large
viper (Vipera berus). The bite, which was deep, was situated on the
outside of the foot, 1 cm. behind the malleolus and 3 cm. above the
plantar margin; at this point there were two punctures in the skin, 1
cm. apart. Directly after the accident the patient left his work, tied
his hankerchief tightly round the lower third of his leg, made the
wound bleed, and came to me with all speed, hopping on one foot
for about a kilometre. When I saw him scarcely twenty minutes had
elapsed since the accident; his general appearance was altered, and
his pulse rapid. The patient had vomited twice; he complained of
pains in the head, and of general weakness, and ’was afraid,’ he
said, ‘of fainting.’ The foot and leg were painful under pressure; a
slight tumefaction was visible in the peri-malleolar region, around
the bites, which bled a little. Forthwith, after washing the wound
freely with a solution of permanganate of potash, I injected 10 c.c.
of Calmette’s serum into the antero-external region of the middle
part of the thigh; then I enveloped the leg in a damp antiseptic
dressing as high as the knee. The patient breathed more freely and
plucked up his spirits. After lying down for quarter of an hour he
went home on foot (he lives a hundred yards from my house).

“In the evening I saw my patient again. He was in bed, with a

temperature of 37·2° C.; pulse 60; no malaise, no headache, no
further vomiting; he had taken a little soup, and a small quantity of
alcoholic infusion of lime-tree flowers. He complained of his leg,
which was swollen as high as the knee; the pain was greater in the
calf than at the malleolus. I applied a damp bandage. The patient
had a good night, and slept for several hours, but still had pain in
the leg. On the following morning, July 24, I found him cheerful,
with no fever, and hungry. Around the bite the œdema had become
considerable, and had extended to an equal degree as high as the
instep; the calf and thigh were swollen, but to a much less extent. I
gave a second injection of 10 c.c. of antivenomous serum in the
cellular tissue of the abdominal wall. The day was good; indeed, the
patient had no fever at any time; the spots at which the injections
were made were but very slightly sensitive on pressure. In the
evening the general condition of the patient was satisfactory; he
complained most of his calf. Thinking that a contraction was
possible, due to his having hopped along quickly on one leg after the
accident, I ordered him a bath.

“On July 25, the second day after he was bitten, the only symptom
still exhibited by the patient was a somewhat considerable amount
of œdema in the peri-malleolar region and lower third of the leg.
This œdema was slowly and gradually absorbed on the following
days.

“Remarks.—(1) At this season of the year viper-bites are both

frequent and dangerous in this district of the Loir-et-Cher. A year
never passes without several cases occurring, and it has very often
happened that deaths have had to be recorded in spite of the most
careful treatment.

“(2) The therapeutic effect of Calmette’s serum was rapid and

efficacious; the injections did not cause any pain or febrile reaction.

“(3) The œdema resulting from the bite was a long time in being
absorbed; this, indeed, was the only remarkable symptom after the
injection of the serum.”

XXI.—Case recorded by Dr. D. Paterne, of Blois (Anjou médical,

September, 1897).

“My confrère and friend Dr. Marchand (des Montils) published in last
month’s Anjou médical an interesting case of viper-bite, cured by
Calmette’s serum. May I send you particulars of another case, which
can only increase the interest of the one that you have already
published? The facts are as follows:—

“Léon Bertre, aged 55, living at 17, Rue du Puits-Châtel, Blois,

professes to be a snake-charmer, and really catches and destroys
large numbers of dangerous reptiles in the vicinity of Blois.
Welcome to our website – the perfect destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. We believe that every book holds a new world,
offering opportunities for learning, discovery, and personal growth.
That’s why we are dedicated to bringing you a diverse collection of
books, ranging from classic literature and specialized publications to
self-development guides and children's books.

More than just a book-buying platform, we strive to be a bridge

connecting you with timeless cultural and intellectual values. With an
elegant, user-friendly interface and a smart search system, you can
quickly find the books that best suit your interests. Additionally,
our special promotions and home delivery services help you save time
and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Join us on a journey of knowledge exploration, passion nurturing, and

personal growth every day!

ebookbell.com