SNAKE-BITE OR POISON?
LTO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")
SIR,—In the Spectator of August 17th, you point out that from nineteen to twenty-two thousand deaths in India are each year reported as being caused by snake-bite. Is it not more than probable that a large proportion of these deaths are due to poisoning and other causes, rather than to snake-bite For many years past, I have been in the habit of making inquiries on this subject, because, though poisonous snakes are common on my plantations in Mysore, and cobras have been occasionally killed in my bungalow, I have never (and my experience dates from 1856) known but one instance in my neighbourhood of death from snake-bite. Bangalore has a large population, and cobras are numerous ; but on inquiry there from a medical man, I was surprised to find how few were the deaths from snake-bite. On one occasion, I made inquiries through all the first and second-class passengers on board a P. and 0. vessel, in order to see if I could find any one who knew of a death from snake-bite occurring as a matter of direct experience, and at last found one instance,—the gardener of a lady having been killed by snake-bite. I asked, in particular, two civilians of from twenty-two to twenty-four years' standing, whether they had ever met with a case of snake-bite as occurring within their own experience,—i.e., seen a man bitten, or one who had recently been bitten ? I then observed : "Is it not very remarkable that these so-called deaths from snake-bite so frequently occur away from direct cognisance by Euro- peans ?" "After all," was the answer, "we can only report what the police send in to us?' I was particularly struck, I may add, with the facts at Bangalore (I regret that I cannot now remember the precise number), because the population is large and the gardens are numerous, and much grass has to be cut for horses,—in fact, the occupations of the people render them very liable to risk of snake-bite, and cobras are notori- ously numerous, and yet the deaths were strikingly few as compared with what they ought to have been, judging by the returns for all India.
It is generally assumed that a snake will always bite if trodden on. My own experience rather indicates that snakes will not bite if not deliberately poked up or attacked. I recol- lect one of my English managers treading on a large snake accidentally. He drew back his foot, as you may suppose, and I was struck by the fact that the snake not only did not offer to bite, but did not seem to be angry. Another much more remarkable instance occurred when I was in India last year. An Englishman in my employ went round the corner of my bungalow suddenly, in his slippers, one afternoon, and trode upon a large cobra which was lying on the muddy ground just outside his bath-room. About one-half of the snake's body was free, and the animal hissed and spread its hood and wriggled round his leg, and he could feel it writhing and struggling under his foot, but is quite positive it never struck at him, which it might easily have done. He was at first afraid to let it go, but at last made a spring to one side, when the cobra was only too glad to make his escape. In both those cases the snakes seemed to perceive that the tread was accidental. On.,one occasion last year, I killed a cobra, and a mandal snake (a poisonous one), amongst coffee, in the midst of which a large body of coolies had just been working, and so thickly distributed were the people, that I feel sure some of them must have trod upon the snakes in
question.—I am, Sir, &c., ROBERT H. ELLIOT. Clifton Park, Kelso, August 20th.
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