On the nature and physiological action of the poison of Naja tripudians and other Indian venomous snakes / by T. Lauder Brunton and J. Fayrer.

Lauder Brunton

Date:: 1873

Credit: On the nature and physiological action of the poison of Naja tripudians and other Indian venomous snakes / by T. Lauder Brunton and J. Fayrer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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$immediately. There were large extravasations of blood under the skin of abdomen and thorax, and under the skin of the left hip. Heart beating vigorously. The muscles contracted on direct irritation. The foot twitched when the sciatic nerve was exposed and irritated by an interrupted current. The peristaltic movements of the intestine were active after the abdomen was opened. Experiment III. Dissolved 5 milligrammes of dried cobra-poison which had collected round the stopper of the bottle containing it in 1\ cubic centimetre of water, and injected it under the skin of the left Hp of a guineapig, weighing 790 grammes. In | of a minute after the injection the animal became restless and uneasy and began to cry. 1=1 minute it began to give little starts. 3|'. The starting motions became greater, the hind quarters of the animal being jerked upwards, and the chin drawn in towards the body; continues to cry. Passes water. fjr Jjgss restless* 15'. Washed out the watch-glass in which the cobra-poison had been placed with about £ a cubic centimetre of water, and injected it as before. Immediately afterwards the restlessness increased. 24'. Seems to be trying to vomit. 27'. It cannot walk rightly. 28'. The hind legs are paralyzed and spread out laterally from beneath it. . . 29'. Eespiration very slow and deep. The animal lies quiet, but con- vulsive twitches of the limb follow almost every respiration. Eespiration 8 in-\ a minute. 30'. Cornea insensible. Eespiration has ceased. Post-mortem examination made immediately. The left ventricle was much dilated, the right ventricle empty. There were two beats of the left auricle for every one of the ventricle, and the ventricidar beat was weak and imperfect. Experiment IV. Dissolved 1 centigramme of a substance like gum, and labelled alcoholic extract of cobra-poison, in 1 cubic centimetre of water. It dissolved easily and formed a somewhat opalescent solution. Injected about \ of this (equal to 3| milligrammes of the dried extract) under the skin of the thigh of a rabbit weighing about a kilogramme. . 4 minutes after the injection there was no apparent effect; so a similar quantity was again injected, making the total amount received by the$