He had no theory that conducted him to the trial, and therefore cannot be fufpected of having any bias on his mind. He mixed equal quantities of LUNAR CAUSTIC with the venom of the viper, adding thereto a few drops of water. I wounded with this mixture, fays he, the legs of five finall birds, but none of them died, or feemed affected with the difeafe of the venom, and there was no gangrene or paralyfis produced! I tried this mixture on ten other birds, which added to my great aftonishment. Still I could not determine as to the unexpected novelty of these favourable confequences; and fearing that accidental circumstances might have prevented the action of the venom, I refolved to make other experiments on the fame animals. I wounded the legs of fix others, multiplying the incifions, to introduce a good deal of the venom, In thefe experiments two of the birds actually died, one in the space of fix hours, the other in twentyeight. On the morrow, I repeated this experiment, with the fame circumftances, on ten other birds; two only of them died, and that at the end of twelve hours.. Fearing that the wounds alone might have brought on death, particularly as they were irritated by the cauftic, I tried ten birds, on the legs of which I made wounds as ufual, and applied the cauftic by itself. One of them

1

died at the end of eight hours. So it feems at least very probable, if not very certain, that the two birds before mentioned, died likewife of their wounds, and not of the effects of the venom.

The pigeon, next to small birds, particularly if very young, is the animal killedth the smallest quantity of venom. I chose four of thefe for a trial, and operated on all of them in the fame way. I made feveral transverse wounds with fciffars, in the muscles of their legs, and introduced this venomous liquor mixed with LUNAR CAUSTIC abundantly into the wounds. Neither of these pigeons either died, or feemed to have the disease caused by the venom of the viper. The next day I repeated the experiment on twelve pigeons, the legs of which I wounded in several places, and neither of them died. I varied the application of the venomous mixture, which I fometimes forced into the wounds with fmall bits of wood, fometimes with pieces of stout thread smeared with it. Neither of them died in these trials. I proceeded to the mufcles of the breast, which I wounded in different ways, and diverfified the application of the mixture: but it was in vain that I multiplied my experiments, neither of the pigeons died!

It cannot now be doubted, but that the LUNAR

CAUSTIC,

CAUSTIC, when mixed with the venom of the viper, renders it INNOCENT; and thus every thing concurs to make us regard it as the true and only specific against this poison. I can now flatter myself, says FONTANA, with having at length discovered a certain remedy against the bite of the viper; a remedy that fo many people have fought for in vain.

I next proceeded with confidence to try the LUNAR CAUSTIC after the bite or infertion of the venom had taken place. I wounded the muscles of the legs of four small birds, as birds are the easiest killed by the venom of the viper, and after having made flight scarifications, I applied the lunar cauftic, washing the wounds foon after. Neither of them died, nor had the difeafe of the venom. I wounded next four other birds like the preceding ones, in the legs, with venomous teeth, and afterwards washed and scarified the wounds, but did not apply the lunar cauftic. THEY ALL DIED. I then wounded eighteen birds, fcarified the wounds, applied the remedy, and washed them, and THEY ALL RECOVERED!

I proceeded then to try this new remedy on fix fmall Guinea pigs. To three of them I applied the venom to the muscles of the legs, to the other three, to thofe of the breast, each of which I had previously wounded. I

then

then applied the LUNAR CAUSTIC. Neither of the Guineapigs died.

I began to vary my experiments. I had fix fowls bit in the thigh by as many vipers. Five of them fwallowed three tea-fpoonfuls each of the folution of the lunar cauftic, the other did not fwallow any. I applied the lunar cauftic in the fame way to each of their wounds; the laft died, and the other five who took the folution all recovered.

Among the multitude of other experiments, we find but one other remedy befides the lunar cauftic, which was of any material advantage for the bite of the viper, and this ferves alfo to confirm the theory maintained in Sect. XXVI. Vol. II. p. 389.

I obferved, fays FONTANA, that dogs and cats recovered in proportion to the violence of their vomiting. I wished to follow the indications of nature. The refult of fome of thefe experiment contradicted that of others, but several of them were very favourable and uniform. Amongst a great number of trials, I had, fays he, a dozen dogs bit in the leg, each by three vipers, and by each repeatedly. To fix I gave EMETIC TARTAR (antimony combined with oxygen), and to the other half nothing. All who had the emetic tartar recovered: and the others, 40

VOL. III.

except

except two, foon died, fo that I am inclined to think that emetics* are of service, as seven or eight fucceffive trials had not unfrequently the fame fuccessful termina

tion.

I had intended to have made no mention of poisons, which are uncommon, but there is one particular, respecting the vegetable poison, called ticunas, with which the American Indians fatalize their arrows, that I cannot help here relating it.

I diffolved, fays FONTANA, this deleterious poifon in the three MINERAL ACIDS, as also in distilled VINE

GAR.

I made flight incifions into the skin of a small Guineapig, and wet it feveral times with the folution of the poifon in nitrous acid. What the animal fuffered feemed to refult from the wounds and acid alone, for in an hour it became as lively as usual.

Two hours after, I repeated this experiment on an

*The query is, Whether any other emetic than a metallic oxyd would have had this effect?

other