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dorri, but alfo for the great ufefulnefs of its Flefh in Medi- cine : Whence Vipers come to make a confiderable Article in divers Arts:
This t emarkable Reptile has the biggefl and flatteft Head of all the Serpent-kind. Its ufual length is about half an Ell j and its thicknefs an Inch : Its Snout is not unlike that of ah Hog.
It has fixteen fmall immoveable Teeth in each Jaw ; and, befides, two other large, fharp, hooked, hollow, tranfparent, canine Teeth, fituate at each fide of the upper Jaw, which are thofe that do the Mifchief : Thefe are flexible in their Articulation ; and are ordinarily laid flat along the Jaw, the Animal never raifing 'em but when it would bite.
The Roots or Bafes of thefe Teeth are incompafs'd with a Veficle, or Bladder, containing the quantity of a large drop of a yellow infipid falivous Juice.
It has only one Row of. Teeth ; whereas all other Ser- pents have two : Its Body is not at all fetid ; whereas the inner Parts of the Bodies of other Serpents are intolerable. — It creeps very flowly, and never leaps like other Serpents; tho 'tis nimble enough to bite when provok'd.
Its Body is of two Colours, afh-colour'd, or yellow, and the ground fpeckled with longifh brown Spots. — The Scales under irs Belly are of the Colour of well-polifh'd Steel.
The Male has two Sets of Genital Inftruments, and the Female two Matrixes, gfs. She brings forth her young liv- ing ; whereas other Serpents lay Eggs and hatch 'em : On which account, the Vifer is rank'd among the Viviparous Animals. See Viviparous.
Her young ones come forth wrap'd up in thin Skins, which break on the third day, andfet the Animal at liberty. — She brings forth to the Number of 20 young ; but only one each Day.
The Antients, particularly 'Pliny, Galen, &c. believ'd that the young kill'd their Mother in the Delivety ; but this is not the only Miftake they were guilty of on the Subject of the Viper. They held that it eat Cantharides, Scorpions, E£?c. which render'd its Poifon fo very dangerous.
Dr. Mead obferves, that the Antients efteem'd the Viper facred j and that one of the Kings of the Eaji Indies caufed Cottages to be built for their Entertainment, and their Killers
to be punifh'd with Death. On Medals, the Viper is
frequently reprefented as a Symbol of divine Power ; and as fuch, ufed by way of attribute to the antient Phyficians.
As to the manner wherein the Viper conveys its Poifon,
Authors are a little difagreed. Francifco Redi, and Moife
Charras, have each of 'em wrote very curious Pieces on the Subject, but their Refult is very different.
Redi maintains, that all the Venom of the Viper is con- tain'd in the two VeficuLe, or Bags which cover the Bafe of the two canine Teeth ; whence, upon biting, the yellowifh liquor is fqueez'd out into the Wound : where, mixing with the Blood and other Juices, it produces thofe dreadful Symp- toms.
This Hypothefis he maintains by a good number of Ex- periments, as of Animals, vh. Cocks, &c. being bit with Vipers after thefe Veficute and their Juice had been taken out ; without any Signs of Poifon, or any ill Confequence at all.
Charras, on the other hand, maintains, that this yellow Liquot is not poifonous ; that he has given it to Pidgeons as Food, without their being at all diforder'd thereby; that the Viper's bite he has always found mortal to Animals, even after the Bag has been taken clear out, as well as before : And laftly, that the Poifon mult lie in the irritated Spirits of the Viper, which it exhales in the Ardor of its biting ; and which are fo cold, that they curdle the Blood, and flop the Circulatioa
The Controverfy between thefe two ingenious Authors is very extraordinary : Their Syflems are oppofite ; yet both maintain'd by a great number of well atteited Experiments. — The Publick, however, generally give into the Sentiment of Sig. Redi 5 as anfwering bell to the Mechanifm of the Parts.
Dr. Mead fuppoles it the true one, in his Effay on the Poifon of the Viper ; and adds to item's Account, that the Poifon in the Viper's Bag is feparated from the Blood by a conglomerated Gland, lying in the lateral anterior part of the Os Sincipitis, behind the Orbit of the Eye ; from which Gland is a Duct that conveys the Poifon to the Bags at the Teeth. The Teeth, he adds, are tubulated for the Conveyance and Emiflton of the Poifon into the Wound ; but their hollownefs does not reach to the Apex or Tip of the Tooth, but ends in a long Slit below the Poinr, out of which the Poifon is emitted.
Thefe Slits, or Perforations of the Teeth, Galen fays, the Mountebanks of his Days ufed to flop with fome kind of Paile ; after which, they would publickly expofe themferves t» be bitten, without danger.
Account of 'the EffeSs of the Site of the Viper, from Dr. Mead.
The Symptoms following the Bite of a Viper, are an acute Pain in the Place wounded ; Swelling, firft red, after- wards livid, fpreading by degrees; great Faintnefs; a quick, low, and fometimes interrupted Pulfe ; Sicknefs at the Sto- mach; bilious convulfive Vomiting; cold Sweats; fometimes Pains about the Navel ; and Death it felf, if the Strength of the Patient, or flightnefs of the Bite do not overcome it.
If he do overcome it, the Swelling continues inflam'd for fome time ; and the Symptoms abating, from the Wuund runs a fanious Liquor, little Putties are rais'd about it, and the Colour of the Skin is as if the Patient were Icterical.
By the Microfcope, the Virus was found to confiil of mi- nute Salts in continual Motion ; after which, a Number of Spicula or Darts appear'd, refembling, but much finer, a Spi- der's Web. This, when mixed with Syr. Violor. in- clined to red, no ways to green ; fo rhat the Juice is not al- kalious : But Mr. Boyle and Dr. Titcairn prove the Blood to be only an Alkaly.
Such a fmall Quantity of the Virus feems to have its Ef- fect by wounding the Fibres, and altering the Cohefion of the Globules of Blood, which by the elaltick Matter thereof proves a nimble Vehicle to carry the Viperine Spicula almofi every where fuddcnly. — They will alfo flimulatc and fret the fenfible Membranes ; whereupon, a more than uiual Afflux of the Animal Juices will be carried to the Parts.
The Cure feems very unfettled : Mr. Soyle found a hot Iron held near the Place fuccefsful ; but it proved otherwife with Monfieur Charras.— Again, the Snake-ftone from the Eaft Indies, immediately applied to the Place, is much com- mended : But Signior Redi and Monfieur Charras found it of no ufe ; yet %'aglivi and Dr. Havers give Inftances of its good Succefs.
Dr. Mead adds, that the fame Stone ditecliy applied to a Pigeon when bitten, faved its Life four Hours ; whereas, mod of the other Pigeons bitten died in half an Hour.
This Stone is not Natural, but Factitious ; its Virtue lies in its Porofity, which is fuppofed to imbibe the Virus.
The Viper-Catchers have a Specifick, in which they can
fo far confide, as not to be afraid of being bitten. That
Specifick is the Auxungia of the Vifer prefenrly rubb'd into the Wound ; which confiding of clammy, vifcid, penetrating, and active Parts, flieaths the Salts of the Virus.
The fame Author, applying it to the Noftrils of a Dog bitten, found it well the next Day : When this is not timely applied, and the Virus has infinuated into the Blood, the Sal Viper, is excellent, given and repeated till Sweats be pro- duced. This fucceeded well with Monfieur Charras ; and Dr. Mead relates, that it recover'd one, after the Virus had indue'd an univerfal Icterus.
Vipers make a confiderable Article in Medicine. — Mofc Authors agree, that there is no Part, Humour, or Excre- ment, not even the Gall it felf, of a Viper, but may be fwallow'd without much harm. — Accordingly, the Antients, and, as feveral Authors allure us, the Indians at this day, both of the Eaft and Well, eat 'em as we do Eels.
Caro Viperina, Viper's Flefh, either roafled or boil'd, the Phyficians unanimously prefcribe as an excellenr Reftora- tive ; particularly in the Elephantiafis, incurable Confump- tions, Leprofy, iyc. and Dr. Mead thinks they might be lefs fparing in the Quantity than they are; inflead of a little Viper's Flefh, he recommends the Broth or Gelly of 'Vipers ; or, as the Antients did, to boil and eat them as Fifh, or at lead to drink Vinum Viperinum, i. e. Wine wherein they have been long infus'd.
Viper's Flejh is an Ingredient in feveral of our beft An- tidotes; as the theriaca Andromach. &c. See Theriaca.
The Apothecaries alfo fell the Tulvis Viperinus, which is only dried Vipers pulveriz'd, Heart Liver and all, and pafs'd rhro' a Sieve. — This, to heighten the Price we fuppofe, they call Animal Bernard. See Bezoard.
The Salts of Vipers, whether volatile or fix'd, alfo their Fat or Axungia, and their Oil, chymically drawn, are Drugs in good repute.
VIRAGO, a Maid, or Woman of extraordinary Stature ; and who, with the Mien and Air of a Man, performs the Aclions and Exercife.. thereof. See Amazon.
Such were Semiramii and 'Penthefilea, among the An- tients, &c. Jeanne a \Pucelle t commonly call'd the Maid of Orleans among the Moderns.
In the Vulgate Verfion of the Bible, Eve is called Virago, becaufe made of the Rib of the Man.— The Latin Tranlla- tor, by this, aim'd to preferve the Etymology which is in the Hebrew, and of Vir, form'd Virago ; as Adam, in the Hebrew Text, call'd Eve lchad, of Ijlh, Man.
The Word is pute Latin, and feldom ufed but in the way of Derifion. VIRGA. See Yard.
Virga
