Volume 1

Treatise on the venom of the viper; on the American poisons; and on the cherry laurel, and some other vegetable poisons. To which are annexed, observations on the primitive structure of the animal body; different experiments on the reproduction of the nerves; and a description of a new canal of the eye ... / Translated from the original French of Felix Fontana ... by Joseph Skinner.

  • Felice Fontana
Date:
1795
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Treatise on the venom of the viper; on the American poisons; and on the cherry laurel, and some other vegetable poisons. To which are annexed, observations on the primitive structure of the animal body; different experiments on the reproduction of the nerves; and a description of a new canal of the eye ... / Translated from the original French of Felix Fontana ... by Joseph Skinner. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    low venomous liquor which is fomewhat glutindys: It is moreover determined that the viper bites and feizes not only with theteeth that are fixed in their foc- kets, but likewife very often withthofe that aremove+ _ able. Of ten vipers] examined, there were three that hadtwo moveable teeth, andtwofirm in their fockets; the feven others had only one moveable tooth, and two firm and well faftened. If I except one of the firft three vipers, and two of the feven lafty all the others to which [held a bit of tendon of beef, boiled! | and well {tripped of its coat, feized! it forcibly, and! left the marks of their teeth/ftrongly printed im it > I muft however obferve that their leaft. firm teetlp were not of the moft mov eable kind, and that Wher they are very loofeI have found thém to rife fo lit- tle that it is abfolutely impoffible for their: points to touch the bedy feized by the vipers 4 5 5. Since it 1s certain that this-creature never bites: without a rifle of lofing forne of its teeth, Nicholls. conjectures with great fagacity, after Redi, that na- ture hasvintended the fmall-ones at the bafis of the ethers, to replace, when there is a neceffity. for ity. thofe'thatrthe'viper lofes from time to time. Their crooked: {Hape renders» it difficult for them to be. drawn fromithe wound, and in the courfe of my. refearches Ivhave fometimes’obfetved, that not only. thofe which are moveable, but-even' the firmeft of) them, are alike fubject to accidents’ Fhe thinnefs- of the tooth, and the ftrength of the animal, that- hasbeen bitten, contribute equally to this lofs-; vand. this opinion becomes ftilly more’ probable when we confider that thefe fmall moveable teeth-are ex- actiy