34; Sir, I have the honor to send at your request the following evidence regarding the effects of the injection of ammonia into the veins in cases of snake poisoning. In smaller amounts and in the less toxic varieties, the poison acts secondarily on the nervous system by destroying the constituent parts of the blood. Just as convincingly, a similarity in the effects is in most cases also manifested after the injection of ammonia.
With regard to the former treatment, after a careful review of the cases, I have come to the conclusion that 1. That only in a few cases did the stimulants administered before the injection modify the symptoms. October 1868. — I had in several places inoculated a small dog with it given to me by Mr.
On the 11th, an adult male came into my care for the treatment of a black snake bite (pseudechys porphyriacus). Shortly after the bite, a severe pain appeared in the finger, from which blood oozed; stiffness of the legs appeared.
CASE 5
The next day the girl suffered from the effects of the fright, but made a full recovery." It was he who noticed the rapid functioning of the pupils, watch in hand. There was no chance of error.
The failure of the first injection can be attributed to the small amount (seven drops) of liquid. Keatinge, I immediately went to the house; the boy's mother stated that he had been bitten by a snake and that she could distinctly see the punctures on the outside of his ankle. I accordingly opened the middle cephalic vein and injected for about fifteen minutes a 1 in 3 solution of ammonia.
Appleyard injected 15 minimum fluid. fort., with an equal quantity of water, in a vein of the arm. I was away from home at the time, and about an hour elapsed from the time of the bite to the time I first saw the child. I then again injected the ammonia into the first convenient vein I found in the neighborhood of the bite; he came to immediately.
Warnock immediately injected a hypodermic syringe full of fluid into a vein of the leg. ammonia :). Five minutes after this process, injected the full contents of the usual syringe, half Eq. In a few minutes after the child was driven to my house, as the friends of the child.
It must have been almost an hour before the first injection was given from the moment of the bite. Webb that the man grew worse in the night, and the hospital attendant did not call the doctor, accordingly half a drachm of the diluted draw. 959) was injected into the median-cephalic vein of the left arm.
The volume of the pulse was immediately increased, its pulsations became more frequent, and the breathing accelerated somewhat. In another twenty minutes we injected another half drachm into the vein of the right arm, this. There was a vesication on the inside of the left forearm, the effect of a bottle of hot water.
Young, the 60-year-old surgeon, opened a vein in the arm of the supposedly dying man and injected him with ammonia.
CASE I
Raised at each application of the remedy; symptoms returned on loosening the ligature Immediate effect on. This amount was injected five times. aqua, and re- tumbler of spirits ligature was loose-. brandy tongue; ous removal of The mother re-. wing bad symptoms fused to let the doctor go further. and di- Light after every 10 m. a mission, but he gravity sank twice. e, then after each injection- used three times and ammonia Ails in-. pupils Wake up immediately 10 m. 20 m aquas half of brandy, friends and walking- ligature and. nd and completely in about c. Summary of the foregoing cases of snakebite treated t118. NEILD remarked that he could corroborate the facts published by Professor Halford from time to time, as he had assisted him in several of the experiments made.
In some cases, Professor Halford had waited until there was no visible pulsation, and then injected ammonia directly into the dog's heart, which almost immediately showed every sign of consciousness. Professor HALEORD mentioned, as an illustration of the marked and immediate effect of ammonia on the circulation, that as soon as ammonia was injected, in cases of experimental dogs, the separated vessels began to bleed. WOLDRIDGE was able to verify the remarks made by Dr. Neild regarding the effect of the agent on the animals on which he had seen Professor Halford experiment.
He assumed that the object of the meeting was to reply to the imputations of the medical profession of this colony by the Indian commission and by the Lancet. There was a clear difference between the results of the experiments made in India and those made here, and the best way would therefore be to carry out exactly similar experiments here. There could be no doubt that in cases of snake-poisoning ammonia was a most powerful stimulant,—one of the most powerful that 1-e could use.
He believed that the experiments here might become conclusive, and would propose that a sub-committee of the Society be appointed to make such experiments. What it wanted to find out was the effect of ammonia treatment in the case of people bitten by venomous snakes. As to the physiological aspect of the question, he believed himself as competent as any man to deal with it.
Statistics showed that a very small percentage of people bitten by Australian snakes die, and the recognition of this fact reduced the value of ammonia injection. He was sure that members of the medical profession would be prepared to contribute funds for such a purpose. It was further resolved: That the proofs offered by Professor Halford be published at the expense of the Society.
CORRESPONDENCE
NEM) moved as a further amendment that this company is ready to co-operate with Professor Halford in his experiments and that a sub-committee be set up to deal with this subject. McCrea, that a sub-committee be appointed by the Medical Society to inquire into the subject of snake-poisoning, such committee to take action in the early part of next summer, was carried.
