Note on the effect of various substances in destroying the activity of cobra poison / by T. Lauder Brunton and J. Fayrer.

  • Lauder Brunton
Date:
[1878]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Note on the effect of various substances in destroying the activity of cobra poison / by T. Lauder Brunton and J. Fayrer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    2/10 (page 466)
    less action upon the poison than one would expect, and it prolongs life to a very slight extent. Liquor potassas impairs the activity of the poison very considerably, and prolongs life for several hours. When a largo dose of cobra poison is injected, none of these sub- stances prevent death even when applied immediately to the wound. The reason of this probably is that they do not come into such perfect contact with the poison as to destroy the whole of it, and the portion which escapes destruction is sufficient to kill. It is possible, however, that when minimum doses only are injected, the local application of one or other substance may turn the balance between life and death, but this point we must reserve for a future paper. Our first experiment was made in order to compare the action of chloride of platinum alone with that of cobra poison alone, and of chloride of platinum injected after cobra poison. Experiment I. February 25tli, 1878. A cat weighing 4 lbs. had about 1 cub. centim. of the chloride of platinum solution of the British Pharmacopeia injected into its flank. 3.44 p.m. Injection completed. 3.55 „ No apparent effect. The cat well and playful. No symptoms whatever were observed, but after some days a slough formed at the point of injection. Chloride of platinum thus appears to have no physiological action whatever when injected subcutaneously beyond its effect as a local irritant. In Experiments II and III similar doses of cobra poison were sub- cutaneously injected into two cats ; but in Experiment III the injection of the poison was followed immediately by the injection of a solution of chloride of platinum into the same spot, so as if possible to destroy the venom which had not yet been absorbed. In this case death was delayed, but not to a very great extent, as it occurred in an hour and fifty minutes after the injection of the venom and chloride of platinum, and in an hour and two minutes in the animal which received the poison alone. Experiment II. Black cat, weight 5 lbs. 25 mgms. of cobra poison dissolved in 1 cub. centim. of distilled water injected into skin of flank at 3.26 p.m. of 25th February. 3.28 p.m. Vomiting. It had taken chloroform to keep it quiet whilst being weighed, and was recovering from the chloroform. Micturated. Drooping head on one side. 3.32 p.m. Vomiting again. Looks much depressed. Defecated. 3.40 ,, Breathing slow. Shallow. 3.41 „ Vomiting again. 3.45 „ Twitching of muscles.