Descriptive; Part II, Collection of Pathogenetic Material; Part III, Arrangement of the Pathogenetic Material, or Symptom Register; Part IV, Uses of the Drug.

7. The Natural History, Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, and Toxicology, as well as the Mechanism of the Bite, Antidotes, &c., of Crotalus are given as briefly as their novelty and importance would allow; but the PATHOGENESY is given as full and complete as possible with the material at our disposal. The Narratives of Provings, Experiments, and Bites are given in full detail, because these are the real and only sources of a knowledge of the power and sphere of the drug, and they should be studied in the language of the original narrators. (v. "Revision and Re-construction of the Mat. Med.," by FRANCIS BLACK, M.D., Brit. Journ. of Hom., xxxix, 332, also Dr. DRYSDALE, on the same subject, under the title of "The Chief Task of Homœopathy," ibid. xli, v. especially p. 4, et seq.) The Provings are given in a list under the letter "A;" the Experiments under "B" Bites in the Human Subject under "C;" and Bites in the Lower Animals under "Ca."

8. In order to furnish in this Essay what is known of the poisonous effects of Crotalus on the animal body, all the pathogenetic effects that could be obtained have been thrown together as a "Collection of Pathogenetic Material." And in order to display the local action of the drug, the effects it produces on the different organs or regions of the body have been picked out and arranged under the different anatomical "Sections " as a "Symptom Register." In both the effects resulting from the introduction of the Venom by the mouth and those of voluntary Provings have been placed first in each section; those resulting from Experiments second; those from Bites in the Human Subject third; and those from Bites in Animals fourth. It must not be supposed that this arrangement indicates any great superiority of one set of symptoms over the others; all are essential in an attempt to display the full pathogenesy of the drug, and all are similarly useful (v. HERING, Preface Die Gründe, 1, 2, 3, 4, &c.). By Bites structural lesions and serious functional disturbances are produced; by Experiments mainly absolute effects and objective symptoms are brought about; Provings elicit more of the subjective, contingent, and mental symptoms.

9. In the SYMPTOM REGISTER, which follows the Pathogenesies, the endeavour has been to give separately, and as much as possible only, the Idiopathic Effects which the drug produces on the different organs or regions of the body (v. Original Introduction to Part I, p. iv, line 19-31 first col., line 19-28 second col., and p. v, line 21-30 second col.), and to give these so as to indicate the local effects clearly and distinctly; at the same time trying as much as possible not to sever them from their natural connections in the complete narrative; and yet avoiding the giving of groups so large as to be inconvenient to the busy practitioner in search of some particular symptom, referring him for the complete disease-picture to the narrative itself, the lines of which are numbered for the purpose. The Narratives are given as nearly as possible in the words of the narrators themselves, but in the cases of DRAKE, STEEL, SOPER, and WOODHOUSE, the account is so long, diffuse,

and disjointed that epitomes of them have been made, so as to form a more connected narrative, and the symptoms have been registered from these epitomes.

Post-mortem results are added whenever available.

10. Under the "General Action" a few of the similarly-acting drugs are named (v. p. 182, also 180 and 181), but for drugs having similar "Topical Action," and for analogous Individual Symptoms, reference should be made to the British Repertory, or to the Symptom Register of Dr. T. F. ALLEN, because a selection from them would be misleading. And under the "Therapeutics" reference should be made to Dr. RICHARD HUGHES's Manual of Therapeutics, or to the Clinical Index at the end of his Pharmacodynamics, 4th ed.

II. A REGISTER of the symptoms is prepared under each Organ or "Section" of the body; after each register is added an INDEX, to enable any particular symptom to be found without trouble or loss of time; then follows a COMMENTARY on the pathogenetic Indications of the drug; and after this follow some hints as to the THERAPEUTIC SPHERE of the medicine; and finally, some CLINICAL CONFIRMATIONS of the therapeutical indications.

12. As the table of CONTENTS will show, there has been an attempt to present to the Medical Profession an account of this valuable drug sufficiently exhaustive-pharmaceutically, chemically, toxically, and therapeutically—to render it unnecessary for its members to consult any other work on these points; whilst at the same time copious references are given to enable them to do so if they should wish.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

I. NATURAL HISTORY OF CROTALUS.-Accounts of the habitat, form, structure, habits, and natural and historical peculiarities of the rattlesnake are to be found in almost all works on the natural history of reptiles; especially in those treating of American reptiles.

The following will afford all the information necessary for our present

purpose:

a. Catalogue of the North American Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Part I. Serpents, by S. F. BAIRD and C. GIRARD. Smithsonian Institution. Washington, January, 1853.

This work treats principally of the North-American species of the family Crotalidæ, but in this respect it may be implicitly relied upon as affording the most recent, the most accurate, and the best nomenclature extant.

The nomenclature given by these authors is that adopted in the present essay.

b. Iconographic Encyclopædia. J. G. FLECK. Translated by S. F. BAIRD. In four volumes, Vol. II, Art. Ophidiæ: R. Garrigue. New York, 1851.

This work gives very good, full, and correct information on the genus Crotalus, as well as on the family Crotalidæ, and the whole order of serpents; and may be consulted with great satisfaction, as affording all necessary information on both North and South-American serpents.

c. Ophidians: the Zoological Arrangement of the Different Genera. By S. B. HIGGINS, S.A. Boericke and Tafel, New York. 1873.

This is a laborious attempt at classification of the different genera and species of the family Crotalidæ, but it bears evidence of want of accuracy of information on the natural history. Its main object is to support the delusion that a serpent's gall is the antidote to its venom. For a review of it, vide British Journal of Homœopathy, xxxii, 158.

d. Illustrated Natural History. By the Rev. G. WOOD. Routledge and Sons, London. 1874.

This is the work appealed to by the editors of the first and second editions of the British Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. Though of a rather popular character, it is a work of considerable merit, and affords much useful information on the subject of serpents. But the author adopts the name Uropsophus instead of Crotalus to designate the genus-an alteration neither necessary nor desirable.

e. SNAKES.-Curiosities and Wonders of Serpent Life. By CATHERINE C. HOPLEY. Griffith and Farran, London, 1882.

This, which is the most recent work on snakes, is a nice handy octavo volume, of some 600 pages. It is prettily illustrated and interestingly written, and well deserves its title. It gives some very instructive chapters on rattlesnakes, rattles, fangs, &c., which will well repay careful perusal.

f. "Appendix A" to Dr. Mitchell's Monograph :-"An enumeration of the genera and species of rattlesnakes, with synonyms and references, by E. D. COPE."

This is a very full and complete summary of the nomenclature and sources of information of the genera and species. But it would have been better had the author not complicated matters by dividing rattlesnakes into Crotalus and Caudisona. The distinction is not necessary or desirable.

Those who wish for further information on this subject will find it in the different encyclopædias; in the articles Rattlesnake, Serpents, Reptiles, &c.

II. CROTALUS AS A POISON-PATHOGENETIC.

a. The earliest and best descriptions of the poisonous effects of Crotalus Venom are afforded by the Accounts of Bites inflicted on the human subject by rattlesnakes. These are to be found in various medical and other journals, transactions and essays, especially of America-the country of the rattlesnake. Some of these afford fair pictures of the effects produced, but most of them are little more than records of fatal results. All that could be found have been collected, and given in a list under the letter C, p. 211.

b. Accounts of Bites in Animals have been collected and given in a list under the letters Ca, p. 237.

The next in the order of appearance are the essays of Dr. S. WEIR MITCHELL. But, in relation to the purpose of the present essay, the next in importance are the records of "PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS and of "PROVINGS" made by various experimenters and others with the definite intention of discovering the effects and symptoms produced by Crotalus Venom.

c. Physiological Experiments.-The accounts of these furnish the moderately severe and the slight structural lesions, and the severe functional symptoms-the objective symptoms. They are given in a list under the letter B, at p. 206.

d. Provings.-The accounts of these furnish slight structural, but mainly the functional, contingent, and mental symptoms-the subjective symptoms. They are given in a list under the letter A, at p. 195.

In the present essay reference to the source is given at the end of

each narrative.

e. The second in order of appearance, and the third in importance of the sources of information on this subject, is the monograph by Dr. Mitchell. Researches upon the Venom of the Rattlesnake. By S. WEIR MITCHELL, M.D.; Smithsonian Institution's Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. xii, Art. vi, Washington, 1861.

In this essay are given, not only a summary and critical examination of bites in the human subject, but a great number of purposely made and scientifically conducted experiments on animals (with the venom of Crotalus durissus) with masterly deductions therefrom, making a very complete and exhaustive examination of the whole subject-the mechanism of the bite and of the production of the venom, as well as the physical and chemical characters and poisonous effects of the venom of Crotalus durissus; with an exposé of the worthlessness of the so-called antidotes; also pointing out the analogy of Crotalus poisoning to certain forms of natural disease, and mentioning the fact of a bite having cured whooping-cough. This monograph should be