Treatise on Poisons by Sir Robert Christison
CHAPTER XXIII.
1410 words | Chapter 157
OF POISONING BY VENOMOUS SNAKES.
Another entire group of poisons allied to the acrid vegetables in their
action, but infinitely more energetic, comprehends the poisons of the
venomous serpents. If we were to trust the impressions the vulgar
entertain of the effects of the bite of serpents, the poisons now
mentioned would be considered true septics or putrefiants; for they were
once universally believed, and are still thought by many, to cause
putrefaction of the living body. This property has been assigned them
probably on no other grounds, except that they are apt to bring on
diffuse subcutaneous inflammation, which frequently runs on to gangrene.
But there are some serpents, especially among those of hot climates,
which appear also to act remotely on the centre of the nervous system,
and to occasion death through means of that action.
The present group of poisons is of little consequence to the British
medical jurist, as an opportunity of witnessing their effects in this
country is seldom to be found. The viper is the only poisonous snake
known in Britain, where its poison is hardly ever so active as to
occasion death.[1531]
This serpent, like all the other poisonous species, is provided with a
peculiar apparatus by which the poison is secreted, preserved, and
introduced into the body of the animal it attacks. The apparatus
consists of a gland behind each eye, of a membranous sac at the lateral
and anterior part of the upper jaw, and of a hollow curved tooth
surrounded and supported by the sac. The cavity of the tooth
communicates with that of the sac, and terminates near the tip, in a
small aperture, by which the poison is expelled into the wound made by
the tooth.
The symptoms caused by the bite of the viper are lancinating pain, which
begins between three minutes and forty minutes after the bite, and
rapidly stretches up the limbs,—swelling, at first firm and pale,
afterwards red, livid and hard,—tendency to fainting, bilious vomiting,
sometimes convulsions, more rarely jaundice,—quick, small, irregular
pulse,—difficult breathing, cold perspiration, dimness of vision, and
injury of the mental faculties. Death may ensue. A case is related in
Rust’s Magazin of a child twelve years old, who died two days after
being bitten in the foot;[1532] another instance is briefly noticed in
the French Bulletins of Medicine, of a person forty years old, dying
also in two days;[1533] Dr. Wagner of Schlieben mentions his having met
with two instances where persons bit on the toes died before assistance
could be procured;[1534] and notice has been taken in Hufeland’s Journal
of a girl, eleven years old, having been killed in three hours at
Schlawe in Prussia.[1535] In the last case burning in the foot, which
was the part bitten, then severe pain in the belly, inextinguishable
thirst, and vomiting, preceded a fit of laborious breathing, which
ushered in death. The most remarkable instance, however, of death from
the bite of the European viper is one lately described by Dr. Braun, as
having been occasioned in the Dutchy of Gotha by the Coluber Chersea
[Kreuzotter of the Germans]. A man, who represented himself to be a
snake-charmer, insisted on showing his skill before Dr. Lenz, a
naturalist of Schnepfenthal; and putting the head of a viper belonging
to this gentleman’s collection into his mouth, he pretended to be about
to devour it. Suddenly he threw the snake from him, and it was found
that he had been bitten near the root of the tongue. In a few minutes he
became so faint that he could not stand, the tongue swelled a little,
the eyes became dim, saliva issued from the mouth, rattling respiration
succeeded, and he died within fifty minutes after being bitten.[1536] A
French writer observes that the common viper of France is not very
deadly; but that the bite of the red viper may occasion death in a few
hours.[1537]
The activity of the poison of the viper depends on a variety of
circumstances. When kept long confined, the animal loses its energy; and
after it has bitten repeatedly in rapid succession, its bite ceases for
some time to be poisonous, as the supply of poison is exhausted. It
appears also to be most active in hot and dry climates. Those cases are
always the most severe in which the symptoms begin soonest; and the
danger increases with the number of bites. An important observation made
by Dr. Wagner is that danger need not be dreaded except when the bite is
inflicted on small organs such as the fingers or toes, because larger
parts cannot be fully included between the animal’s jaws, and fairly
pierced by its fangs, but can only be scratched. The properties of the
fluid contained in the reservoir do not cease with the animal’s life;
nay they continue even when the fluid is dried and preserved for a
length of time. It may be swallowed in considerable quantity without
causing any injury whatever. In the course of some experiments lately
made in Italy, a pupil of Professor Mangili swallowed at once the whole
poison of four vipers without suffering any inconvenience; and that of
six vipers was given to a blackbird, that of ten to a pigeon, and that
of sixteen to a raven, with no other effect beyond slight and transient
stupor.[1538]
For the most recent account of the far more terrible effects of the
cobra di capello and rattlesnake, the reader may refer to the
authorities below.[1539]
It was stated above that the poison of the viper retains its activity
when dried. I have had an opportunity of observing this in regard to the
poison of the cobra di capello, which is said to be preserved in India
by simply squeezing out the contents of the poison-bag, and drying the
liquid in a silver dish exposed to the sun. The specimen in my
possession, for which I am indebted to Mr. Wardrop of London, has the
appearance of small fragments of gum-arabic. It had been kept for
fifteen years when I tried its effects on a strong rabbit. A grain and a
half dissolved in ten drops of water, having been introduced between the
skin and muscles of the back, the animal in eight minutes became very
feeble and averse to stir, so that it remained still even when placed in
irksome postures; occasional slight twitches of the limbs supervened; at
length it became extremely torpid, and breathed slowly by means of the
abdominal muscles and diaphragm alone; and in twenty-seven minutes it
died exhausted, without any precursory insensibility. The heart
contracted readily, when irritated nine minutes after death; so that the
poison seemed to operate by causing muscular paralysis, and consequently
arresting the respiration.
There might also be arranged in an appendix to the present group of
poisons those _insects_ whose sting is poisonous. The European insects
known to have a poisonous sting, are chiefly the scorpion, tarantula,
bee and wasp; of which the last two only are natives of Britain.
The poison of these insects occasions diffuse cellular inflammation,
which always ends in resolution. It is said, however,[1540] and it may
be readily believed, that death has been sometimes caused in consequence
of a whole hive attacking an intruder and covering his body with their
stings. In an old French journal is shortly noticed the case of a
peasant who died soon after being stung over the eye by a single
bee.[1541] A more probable story has been told in the Gazette de Santé
of a gardener who died of inflammation of the throat, in consequence of
being stung there by a wasp while he was eating an apple, in which it
had been concealed.[1542] But the same accident has often occurred
without any material danger.
The treatment of poisoning by venomous serpents need not be detailed
here. The subject is introduced merely to mention that the treatment of
poisoned wounds by the application of cupping-glasses has been lately
resorted to with success for curing the bite of the viper. A patient of
M. Piorry, two hours after being bitten, had all the constitutional
symptoms strongly developed, such as slow, very feeble pulse, nausea,
vomiting, and swelling of the face. When a cupping-glass was applied for
half an hour, the general symptoms ceased and did not return. Next day
diffuse inflammation began; but it was checked by leeches.[1543] An
equally successful case is related in the Calcutta Transactions by Mr.
Clarke.[1544]
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