University of Virginia Library

10. CHAPTER TEN

DEFIERS OF POISONOUS REPTILES: THARDO; MRS. LEARN, DEALER IN RATTLESNAKES. —SIR ARTHUR THURLOW CUNYNGHAME ON ANTIDOTES FOR SNAKE-BITE.—JACK THE VIPER.—WILLIAM OLIVER, 1735.— THE ADVICE OF CORNELIUS HEINRICH AGRIPPA, (1486-1535).—AN AUSTRALIAN SNAKE STORY.—ANTIDOTES FOR VARIOUS POISONS.

ABOUT twenty-two years ago, during one of my many engagements at Kohl and Middleton's, Chicago, there appeared at the same house a marvelous “rattle-snake poison defier” named Thardo. I watched her act with deep interest for a number of weeks, never missing a single performance. For the simple reason that I worked within twelve feet from her, my statement that there was absolutely no fake attached to her startling performance can be taken in all seriousness, as the details are still fresh in my mind.

---

177

Thardo was a woman of exceptional beauty, both of form and feature, a fluent speaker and a fearless enthusiast in her devotion to her art. She would allow herself to be repeatedly bitten by rattle-snakes and received no harm excepting the ordinary pain of the wound. After years of investigation I have come to the belief that this immunity was the result of an absolutely empty stomach, into which a large quantity of milk was taken shortly after the wound was inflicted, the theory being that the virus acts directly on the contents of the stomach, changing it to a deadly poison.

It was Thardo's custom to give weekly demonstrations of this power, to which the medical profession were invited, and on these occasions she was invariably greeted with a packed house. When the moment of the supreme test came, an awed silence obtained; for the thrill of seeing the serpent flash up and strike possessed a positive fascination for her audiences. Her bare arms and shoulders presented a tempting target for the death-dealing reptile whose anger she had aroused. As soon as he had buried his fangs in her expectant

---

178

Another rattle-snake defier is a resident of San Antonio, Texas. Her name is Learn, and she once told me that she was the preceptor of Thardo. This lady deals in live rattle-snakes and their by-products—rattle-snake skin, which is used for fancy bags and purses; rattle-snake oil, which is highly esteemed in some quarters as a specific for rheumatism; and the venom, which has a pharmaceutical value.

She employs a number of men as snake trappers. Their usual technique is to pin the rattler to the ground by means of a forked stick thrust dexterously over his neck, after which he is conveyed into a bag made for the purpose. Probably the cleverest of her trappers is a Mexican who has a faculty of catching these dangerous creatures with his bare hands. The story goes that this chap has been bitten

---

179

In a very rare book by General Sir Arthur Thurlow Cunynghame, entitled, My Command in South Africa, 1880, I find the following:

The subject of snake bites is one of no small interest in this country.

Liquid ammonia is, par excellence, the best antidote. It must be administered immediately after the bite, both internally, diluted with water, and externally, in its concentrated form.

The “Eau de luce” and other nostrums sold for this purpose have ammonia for their main ingredient. But it generally happens in the case of a snake bite that the remedy is not at hand, and hours may elapse before it can be obtained. In this case the following treatment will work well. Tie a ligature tightly above the bite, scarify the wound deeply with a knife, and

---

180

allow it to bleed freely. After having drawn an ounce of blood, remove the ligature and ignite three times successively about two drams of gunpowder right on the wound.

If gunpowder be not at hand, an ordinary fusee will answer the purpose: or, in default of this, the glowing end of a piece of wood from the fire. Having done this, proceed to administer as much brandy as the patient will take. Intoxicate him as rapidly as possible, and, once intoxicated, he is safe. If, however, through delay in treatment, the poison has once got into circulation no amount of brandy will either intoxicate him or save his life.

An odd character, rejoicing in the nick-name of Jack the Viper, is mentioned on page 763 of Hone's Table Book, 1829. In part the writer says:

Jack has traveled, seen the world, and profited by his travels; for he has learned to be contented.

He is not entirely idle, nor wholly industrious.

---

181

If he can get a crust sufficient for the day, he leaves the evil of it should visit him. The first time I saw him was in the high noon of a scorching day, at an inn in Laytonstone. He came in while a sudden storm descended, and a rainbow of exquisite majesty vaulted the earth. Sitting down at a table, he beckoned the hostess for his beer, and conversed freely with his acquaintance. By his arch replies I found that I was in company with an original— a man that might stretch forth his arms in the wilderness without fear, and like Paul, grasp an adder without harm. He playfully entwined his fingers with their coils and curled crests, and played with their forked tongues. He had unbuttoned his waistcoat, and as cleverly as a fish-woman handles her eels, let out several snakes and adders, warmed by his breast, and spread them on the table. He took off his hat, and others of different sizes and lengths twisted before me; some of them, when he unbosomed his shirt, returned to the genial temperature of his skin; and some curled around the legs of the table, and others rose in a defensive attitude. He irritated and humored them, to express

---

182

either pleasure or pain at his will. Some were purchased by individuals, and Jack pocketed his gains, observing, “A frog, or a mouse, occasionally, is enough for a snake's satisfaction.”

The Naturalist's Cabinet says, that “In presence of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, while the philosophers were making elaborate dissertations on the danger of the poison of vipers, taken inwardly, a viper catcher, who happened to be present, requested that a quantity of it might be put into a vessel; and then, with the utmost confidence, and to the astonishment of the whole company, he drank it off. Everyone expected the man instantly to drop down dead; but they soon perceived their mistake, and found that, taken inwardly, the poison was as harmless as water.”

William Oliver, a viper catcher at Bath, was the first who discovered that, by the application of olive oil, the bite of the viper is effectually cured. On the first of June, 1735, he suffered himself to be bitten by an old black viper; and after enduring the agonizing symptoms of approaching death, by using olive oil he perfectly recovered.

---

183

Vipers' flesh was formerly esteemed for its medicinal virtues, and its salt was thought to exceed every other animal product in giving vigor to a languid constitution.

According to Cornelius Heinrich Agrippa (called Agrippa of Nettesheim), a German philosopher, and student of alchemy and magic, who was born in 1486, and died in 1535, “if you would handle adders and snakes without harm, wash your hands in the juice of radishes, and you may do so without harm.”

Even though it may seem a digression, I yield to the temptation to include here an extraordinary “snake story” taken from An Actor Abroad, which Edmund Leathes published in 1880:

I will here relate the story of a sad death—I might feel inclined to call it suicide—which occurred in Melbourne shortly before my arrival in the colonies. About a year previous to the time of which I am now writing, a gentleman of birth and education, a Cambridge B. A., a barrister by profession and a literary man by

---

184

choice, with his wife and three children emigrated to Victoria. He arrived in Melbourne with one hundred and fifty pounds in his pocket, and hope unlimited in his heart.

Poor man! He, like many another man, quickly discovered that muscles in Australia are more marketable than brains. His little store of money began to melt under the necessities of his wife and family. To make matters worse he was visited by a severe illness. He was confined to his bed for some weeks, and during his convalescence his wife presented him with another of those “blessings to the poor man,” a son.

It was Christmas time, his health was thoroughly restored, he naturally possessed a vigorous constitution; but his heart was beginning to fail him, and his funds were sinking lower and lower.

At last one day, returning from a long and solitary walk, he sat down with pen and paper and made a calculation by which he found he had sufficient money left to pay the insurance upon his life for one year, which, in the case of his death occurring within that time, would bring to

---

185

his widow the sum of three thousand pounds. He went to the insurance office, and made his application—was examined by the doctor—the policy was made out, his life was insured. From that day he grew moody and morose, despair had conquered hope.

At this time a snake-charmer came to Melbourne, who advertised a wonderful cure for snake-bites. This charmer took one of the halls in the town, and there displayed his live stock, which consisted of a great number of the most deadly and venomous snakes which were to be found in India and Australia.

This man had certainly some most wonderful antidote to the poison of a snake's fangs. In his exhibitions he would allow a cobra to bite a dog or a rabbit, and, in a short time after he had applied his nostrum the animal would thoroughly revive; he advertised his desire to perform upon humanity, but, of course, he could find no one would be fool enough to risk his life so unnecessarily.

The advertisement caught the eye of the unfortunate emigrant, who at once proceeded to the hall where the snake

---

186

charmer was holding his exhibition. He offered himself to be experimented upon; the fanatic snake-charmer was delighted, and an appointment was made for the same evening as soon as the “show” should be over.

The evening came; the unfortunate man kept his appointment, and, in the presence of several witnesses, who tried to dissuade him from the trial, bared his arm and placed it in the cage of an enraged cobra and was quickly bitten. The nostrum was applied apparently in the same manner as it had been to the lower animals which had that evening been experimented upon, but whether it was that the poor fellow wilfully did something to prevent its taking effect—or whatever the reason—he soon became insensible, and in a couple of hours he was taken home to his wife and family—a corpse. The next morning the snake-charmer had flown, and left his snakes behind him.

The insurance company at first refused payment of the policy, asserting that the death was suicide; the case was tried and the company lost it, and the widow received the three thousand pounds. The snake-charmer was sought in vain; he had

---

187

the good fortune and good sense to be seen no more in the Australian colonies.

As several methods of combating the effects of poisons have been mentioned in the foregoing pages, I feel in duty bound to carry the subject a little farther and present a list of antidotes. I shall not attempt to educate my readers in the art of medicine, but simply to give a list of such ordinary materials as are to be found in practically every household, materials cited as antidotes for the more common poisons. I have taken them from the best authorities obtainable and they are offered in the way of first aid, to keep the patient alive till the doctor arrives; and if they should do no good, they can hardly do harm.

The first great rule to be adopted is send for the doctor at once and give him all possible information about the case without delay. Use every possible means to keep the patient at a normal temperature. When artificial respiration is necessary, always get hold of the tongue and pull it well forward in order to keep the throat clear, then turn the patient over on his face and press the abdomen to force out the

---

188

Vegetable and mineral poisons, with few exceptions, act as efficiently in the blood as in the stomach. Animal poisons act only through the blood, and are inert when introduced into the stomach. Therefore there is absolutely no danger in sucking the virus from a snake bite, except that the virus should not be allowed to touch any spot where the skin is broken.

The following list of antidotes is taken largely from Appleton's Medical Dictionary, and Sollmann's A Manual of Pharmacology, Philadelphia, 1917, pages 56 and 57, and has been verified by comparison with various other authorities at the library of the Medical Society of the County of New York:

Arsenic

• Induce vomiting with a dessert-spoonful of ground mustard in tepid water. Also put the finger in the throat to induce retching. When the stomach has been emptied, give the patient all the milk he can take.

---

189




Aconite

• Induce vomiting as above. Also give active purgative. Stimulate with strong tea or coffee. Keep the patient roused.

Alcohol

• Same as for aconite.

Belladonna

• Same as for aconite.

Bitter-sweet

• Same as for aconite.

Blue vitriol

• Induce vomiting as in arsenic. Then give milk, or white of egg, or mucilage.

Cantharides

• Induce vomiting. Give soothing drinks. No oil. Rub abdomen with camphor, or camphorated oil.

Chloral

• Same as for aconite.

Camphor

• Same as for aconite.

Conium (Hemlock)

• Same as for aconite.

Carbolic Acid

• White of egg in water, or olive oil, followed by a large quantity of milk.

Calomel

• Give white of egg, followed by milk, or flour gruel.

Corrosive Sublimate

• Same as for calomel.

Croton Oil

• Induce vomiting. Also give strong purgative as soon as possible. Stimulate with strong tea or coffee.

Colocynth

• Same as for croton oil.

Ergot

• Same as for aconite.

Food cooked in a copper vessel

• Same as for blue vitriol.

Fish poison

• Same as for croton oil.

Gases

• Plenty of fresh air. Inhale ammonia (not too strong). Artificial respiration if necessary. Stimulate with strong tea or coffee.

Green coloring matter

• Same as for arsenic.

Hellebore

• Same as for aconite.

Hyoscyamus

• Same as for aconite.

Iodine

• Give starch.

  ---

  190

  
  

Lobelia

• Same as for aconite.

Lead

• Same as for calomel.

Matches

• Induce vomiting. Give magnesia and mucilage. No oil.

Mercury

• Same as for calomel.

Morphine

• Spasms may be quieted by inhaling ether.

Nitric Acid

• Induce vomiting. Give Carbonate of Magnesia, or lime-water.

Nitrate of Silver

• Give common salt in water, or carbonate of soda in solution, followed by milk, or white of egg.

Nux Vomica

• Same as for aconite.

Oxalic Acid

• Same as for nitric acid.

Opium

• Same as for morphine.

Prussic Acid

• Not much can be done, as fatal dose kills in from three to five minutes. Dilute ammonia given instantly might save life.

Paris Green

• Same as for arsenic.

Phosphorus

• Same as for matches.

Rough on Rats

• Same as for arsenic.

Strychnin

• Same as for morphine.

Sulphuric Acid

• Strong soap-suds.

Toadstool

• Same as for morphine.

Turpentine

• Same as for morphine.

Tin

• Same as for nitrate of silver.

Verdigris

• Same as for arsenic.

Vermilion

• Same as for calomel.

White vitriol

• Same as for nitrate of silver.

Zinc

• Same as for nitrate of silver.

For Snake-bite

• The best general treatment for snake-bite is to tie a ligature tightly above the wound, then suck out as much of the virus as possible. Give the patient large quantities of whisky or brandy, to induce intoxication. Incise the

  ---

  191

  
  
  wound with a red-hot nail, or knitting needle. Keep the patient intoxicated till the doctor arrives.

For Burns

• All burns are more painful when exposed to the air. For lesser burns a cloth saturated with a strong solution of bicarbonate of soda (common cooking soda) laid on the burn is probably best. This is soothing and keeps out the air.

For burning clothes

• Do not allow the victim to run about, for that increases the flames. Throw her— these accidents usually occur to women —on the floor and smother the flames with a blanket, rug, or large garment. Then, if the burns are severe, place her in a bath at a temperature of 100° or over, keeping her there till the doctor arrives. Give stimulants. Do not touch the burns more than is absolutely unavoidable.

For Burns of Acids

• Dash cold water on the burns, then cover with lime-water and sweet oil, or linseed oil.

For Burns of Caustic Alkalies

• Apply vinegar.

Glass, coarse or Give the patient large quantities of bread powdered crumbs,

• Give the patient large quantities of bread and then induce vomiting.

Ivy poison

• Wash at once with soap and water; using scrubbing brush. Then lay on cloths saturated with strong solution bicarbonate of soda. Give cooling drinks. Keep the patient quiet and on a low diet.

---

192