Medical Officers of the Army of India.

65

Experiment
No.		 SPECIES OF SNAKE. Length of
Snake in inches.		 Amount of
Venom inject-
ed (approxi-
mately).		 Result. Duration of
life from time
of injection.		 Post-mortem
examination.		 REMARKS.
XXXVII Gonyosoma gramineum 16 1/8 ½ gr. Died. 85 Mins. None made Had received con-
siderable flesh-
wound during cap-
ture, but was newly
caught and very
active.
XXXVIII Ablabes collaris 23 1 „ ,, 29,, ,,  
XXXIX Gonyosoma gramineum 19 1 „ ,, 45,, Inject ion
proved to be
partially in-
tramuscular
(very super-
ficially) and
attended by
slight ca-
pillary hæ-
morrhage.		 Had received severe
wound below neck
during capture.
XL Tropidonotus quincun-
ciatus. 		37¾ 2 grs. „ 5¾ hours.    

   Results of these experiments.

      In all these experiments the cobra-venom proved to be more or less rapidly
fatal.1The duration of life after injection of the
venom was in direct ratio (a) to the amount of
venom administered, and (b) to the robustness of the individual operated on:
the more delicate tree-snakes rapidly succumbed, while the relatively shorter
but more robust Simotes offered much greater resistance to the action of the
venom. The snakes operated on were generally of small size, as the larger
species of non-venomous snakes, e.g. the python and rat-snake (Ptyas), could
not at the time be obtained for experiment.

   Expèriments of previous obser-
vers.

      The results recorded by previous observers are shown in the following
table. The snakes were bitten by the venomous
species; the biting snakes, with two exceptions,
being cobras. In addition to those given in the
table are three experiments by Fontana 2in which innocent snakes, called
respectively 'aspick,' 'adder,' and orvai' were bitten by vipers; but beyond
slight torpidity' in one case no other effect was noted.

      1In experiment No. XXVI the fact of actual death was not ascertained; but this snake when last seen
was evidently dying; and the deaths of two others of the same species were duly observed— Vide Ex-
periments Nos. XXV III and XXXI.

      2loc . cit ., p. 39.

K