Venoms: Venomous Animals and Antivenomous Serum-therapeuticsCalmette, A. (Albert)
Science
Venoms: Venomous Animals and Antivenomous Serum-therapeutics
Calmette, A. (Albert)
Antitoxins; Poisonous snakes; Toxins; Venom
XXII.--Case recorded by Dr. Thuau, of Baugé (_Anjou médical_,
September, 1897).
“X., a young man of Volandry, a parish 10 kilometres from Baugé,
was bitten in the heel at 10 a.m. on the 6th of last August, by an
aspic, about 50 cm. in length, while engaged in harvesting. He at once
had himself taken to Baugé, knowing that there was an antivenomous
serum dispensary there, and about noon he arrived at the house of my
_confrère_ and friend Dr. Boell. The latter, in view of the grave
symptoms exhibited by the patient (nausea, vertigo almost amounting to
syncope, pain in the chest, profuse sweating, &c.), gave him, with all
the customary precautions, a first injection of 10 c.c. of Calmette’s
serum in the flank. After about half an hour, since the alarming
symptoms did not appear to diminish, he did not hesitate to give a
second injection of 10 c.c., and then had him sent to the Baugé Civil
Hospital, where he came under my care about 3 p.m. I then found that
this young man had been bitten in the left foot, a little below the
external malleolus, midway between the latter and the plantar margin.
The snake’s fangs had penetrated rather deeply; the two little wounds
were about a centimetre apart. About this time the patient experienced
great relief, and his general condition continued rapidly to improve.
The axillary temperature was 37·8° C.
“Locally the patient complained of somewhat acute pain in the entire
foot; the latter was purple and greatly swollen, and the swelling had
affected the whole of the lower leg and extended to a little above
the knee. I made a slight incision in the region of the two wounds
caused by the bite, made the place bleed a little, and washed it with a
solution of permanganate of potash, advising that the dressing should
be changed several times a day. In the evening the temperature was 37°
C., and never varied again from the normal until recovery was complete
on August 25.
“The two injections of antivenomous serum did not produce any painful
or inflammatory reaction.”
XXIII.--Case reported by Dr. Clamouse, of Saint-Epain, Indre-et-Loire.
“Léonie C., a servant at a farm, aged 19, bitten on June 1, 1900,
by a red viper on the dorsal face of the left ring-finger. Somewhat
serious symptoms of intoxication. In default of serum, injection of
Labarraque’s fluid, 1 in 12. Serum obtained from Tours was injected at
11 p.m. on June 2, thirty-eight hours after the accident.
“On the morning of June 3, very marked improvement. On June 7, general
condition excellent. Recovery.”
XXIV.--Case reported by Dr. G. Moreau, of Neung-sur-Beuvron,
Loir-et-Cher.
“A. B., aged 12, living at Villeny, in the canton of Neung-sur-Beuvron
(Loir-et-Cher), was bitten on June 23, 1900, on the left external
malleolus. The parents contented themselves with applying a ligature
above the wound, and did not bring the child to me until 12.15 p.m.
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