Health and Beauty

1889

Bites of Snakes

These are dangerous and require powerful remedies. The bites of various kinds of snakes do not have the same effects, but people suffer from them in different ways. It is of the greatest importance to prevent the poison mixing with the blood and to remove the whole of it instantly from the body.

Take a piece of tape or anything that is near and tie immediately above the bite and between it and the heart, the wound should be sucked several times by any person near. There is no danger to the person performing this kindness, providing his tongue or any part of his mouth has no broken skin. Having sucked the poison, immediately spit it out.

A better plan is to cut out the central part bitten with a sharp instrument. This may not be a very pleasant operation for the amateur, but, as we have to act promptly in such an emergency, courage will come. After the operation bathe the wound for some time to make it bleed freely. Having done this rub the wound with a stick of lunar-caustic or, still better, a solution composed of sixty grains of lunar caustic dissolved in an ounce of water. This solution should be dropped into the wound. Of course the band tied round the wound in the first place must be kept on during the times these means are being adopted.

The wound afterwards must be covered with lint dipped in cold water. There is generally great depression of strength in these cases, it is necessary therefore to give some stimulant, a glass of hot brandy and water, or twenty drops sal-volatile. When the patient has somewhat recovered give him a little mustard in hot water to make him vomit, if on the other hand the vomiting is continuous, a large mustard poltice should be applied to the stomach and one pill composed of a grain of solid opium.

Note -- Only one of these pills must be given without medical advice.

All these remedies can be acted upon until a surgeon arrives.