A Discourse of the Viper, and Some Other Poysons, Wrote by Sir Theodore De Mayerne, after Some Discourse He Had with Mr Pontaeus, Communicated by the Late Sir Theodore De Vaux, M. D. and F. R. S.

The Bodkin was cut out of her Bladder that day nine weeks that she swallow'd it. There was but half of the Bodkin in the Bladder, which was incrustated with a gravelly calculous matter, as appears in the adjoining figure. A the head or blunt end of the Bodkin, from A to B the half which was in the Bladder with its Crust: from B to C the part which was out of the Bladder in the Pelvis, the point resting upon the Ischium. Vid. Fig. 7. IV. A Discourse of the Viper, and some other Poisons, wrote by Sir Theodore de Mayerne, after some discourse he had with Mr. Pontæus; Communicated by the late Sir Theodore de Vaux, M. D. and F. R. S. The venom of the Viper in itself is not mortal to a robust and sound body, and tho very unhappy and mischievous accidents attend it; as a great tumour, tension and weight of the part, humidity, and variety of colours, phrenses, convulsions, vomitings, yet in eight or ten days at most these accidents are over; also the Patient may be very ill, yet he recovers again, whilst the Poison having run through divers parts of the body, at last it always throws itself into the Scrotum, swelling it extremely, causes a great heat and quantity of Urine, very hot and sharp, by which it is discharged, this evacuation being the ordinary and most certain Crisis of the Disease. It is observable; that the perspiration being obstructed by the Poison, a man bit by a Viper, and swell'd up, in three or four days shall weigh almost as much more as he did before. A sickly person, under an ill habit of body, or fearful, dyes infallibly in a short time of this venome, without speedy help. In the Extreme and Nervous parts near the Pulse and Tongue, the bites are dangerous, and accidents very painful. Fresh Vipers that have not bit, but have the bladders of the Gums full of venom, are the most mischievous. Mountebanks, to impose upon the people, either make their Vipers bite before they bring them out, or with a Needle scratch the Gums, and press out the poison. They make us believe that a bite on the left breast near the heart is more mortal than elsewhere; but this is a cheat, it causing only a great swelling on all that side of the body, on the neck and face, which afterwards falls down (as was said) into the Scrotum, and is evacuated by Urine. For these great and painful swellings, the remedy is to drink the Decoction of Marrubium, or the Powder, taken inwardly, and a fomentation with a decoction, applying the Rest on the place. Aristolochia is also a strong and powerful Antidote against the Viper, so that if one be bit on the Tongue, he need only take a slice of this Root, heat it, and apply it, and it goes away. Pontanus, a Chymical Mountebank, a Native of England, and an Apothecary by Trade, from whom I had the above-mentioned observations, was one day accidentally bit by a fresh Viper on his right wrist, he thought it would have killed him. One of the greatest pains he suffered was, an almost insupportable tension of the palm of his hand. He composed his Antidote of extract of Juniperberries, drawn with a Decoction of Roots of round Ari- Aristolochia of Succisa, Marrubium Album, Flowers of Brimstone and of White Vitriol. For Poisons not corrosive, such as those of Animals and Vegetables, and even for the Plague itself, which he believes he can cure by the same Remedy, he makes use of no Vitriol; but if the Poison be sublimate, which of itself excites vomiting, he adds Vitriol, not in a proportion to vomit, as a Drachm, but only a Scruple or half a Drachm, the vomiting being assisted by the corrosive Poison itself. To encrease the value of his Antidote with the people, when the Experiment is made on Dogs. To that Dog which they would have dye of the bite of the Viper, he gives with the Antidote a quarter of a Nux Vomica; not powdered, only cut in bits, and the next day the Dog dyes; if it were powdered, the Dog would dye in half an hour. He says, Nux Vomica is so called by contraries, for it never vomits, but shuts up the stomach, and contracts the nerves by its poison. To preserve the Dogs alive, you must give them in the Antidote or any thing else, 3 or 4 grains of Sublimate, which immediately sets them a vomiting, and so saves them alive. He offers to take all sorts of Poisons, even Corrosives, after an ordinary meal; and for a tryal of skill he refuses them not on an empty stomach. He much esteems Morsus Diaboli, Succisa, or Devils bit, against all sorts of Poisons. He laughs at the Poison of a Toad, which he says has none at all, no more than a Frog; and affirms he has eat several without any mischief. His Sugar, or Remedy for Worms in Children, is 15 grains of Mercurius dulcis, with five grains of Scamony, and two or three times as much Sugar, made up in Lozenges. He says, that this dose, which in France purges grown persons, does nothing in England on those above 15 years old, and ought to be augmented. His Mercurius Dulcis is made without Vitriol, which tho good, is yet corrosive; he takes only Ashes with the decrepitated Salt. The manner of the acting of the Vipers poyson is thus. In about 3/4 of an hour a Syncope or swooning seizes them with trembling and convulsions, tingling of the ears, and frequently deafness for a moment; next as it were a white sail comes afore their eyes, which soon vanishes; on the place of the bite a swelling rises at first of the bigness of a Pea, which grows as big as a Bean or Nut, and encreasing, enlarges itself over the neighbouring parts to a very considerable Tumour, and stretching of the flesh, which grows ædematrous, and by little and little falls into the Scrotum, and leaves the part black, blue and yellow. It makes as it were bags in the skin; which feel heavy when you walk, as if fill’d with Quicksilver. Do what you will the Poyson will have its course, and is usually three days before it comes to the height, and as long abating. For these great swellings and stretching of the parts, a Fomentation and Cataplasm is made with Marrubium, Tapsus Barbatus, and Agrimony. The Gall of the Viper is no ways venemous, and Pontanus says he usually gives it without any ill effect, or trouble but its bitterness; all the Poyson is in the liquor in the Gums, which is yellow like Oyl, of which you may easily disarm the Viper. The Viper is the most venemous of Serpents, the Asp is but a species of the Viper. The Napellus is a very dangerous Poyson, acting by its acrimony, you must take a great quantity of it; it burns the throat extremely, as does Allum, but it is cured by the Antidote. Crude Antimony does nothing if attack'd by the Antidote. The most mischievous of all poisons is Opium, of which having given an excessive quantity to his Servant, at first he had Convulsions, then strange vomitings, not able to let any thing go down into his stomach, a sleepiness followed, all which time they kept him awake as much as possible, at last all of a sudden he grew well, and called for Victuals. *Succisa* or Devils Bit is excellent for Poisons, especially the Plague; and it is observable, that it is so powerful a sudorific, that laying the sick person, whether of the Plague, or other malignant Fever, on a Bed of that Herb moderately hot, he shall sweat till they take him off, and much more if he drinks of the decoction or juice of the Herb, which in Summer they take all, and in Winter of the Root only. He says, that for the Dropsie, after all other things, one of the best Remedies in the world is to take *Morus Diaboli*, and put it over the fire in a dry Kettle, that it may wet it only with its own juice; and of this to apply a quantity to the Belly and Reins of the Patient, covering him up warm, and so provoke sweat, which will come away in great quantity, and may be maintained according to the strength of the Patient and exigency of the case.