THEIR NATURE AND EFFECTS.
nature of these changes, dissections were made both on the human subject and on the lower animals of individuals that had died of snake-bite ; also incisions were made into the tissues at the place where snakes had bitten at various intervals after the bite. The result of these observations is to show that directly after the poison is injected into the tissue its vessels become enlarged and gorged with blood, effusion is poured out immediately; and as the engorgement and stngnntion of blood increase the effusion becomes more blood-like, from its containing more of the contents of the vessels. Now, these processes are singularly rapid in occurring. In an animal that only lived thirty seconds after the injection of the poison, a well-marked circle of vascular injection was found at the site of the poison. In another case, in one minute sufficient effusion hud been poured out to attract the attention of a casual observer.
Should the animal recover from the constitutional effects of the poison, the result of these local changes will be profuse suppuration and sloughing of the parts in which the poison was deposited. Now, simple effusion of blood is very rarely followed by suppuration.
In scurvy and allied diseases, and after injuries, we constantly see effusions of blood rapidly absorbed as recovery proceeds. Again, effusion of blood is seldom attended by pain. Moreover, by using solutions of cobra-poison of different strengths any degree of local mischief can be produced — from an engorgement and
