I. The action of the venom of Echis carinatus

Echis carinatus is classified in the sub-family Viperineæ of the family Vipirideæ. It has been described, also, under the names of E. carinata, E. arenicola, E. superciliosa, Vipera carinata, V. echis and several other names. It is popularly known as Afa̅e, Kuppur, and Phoorsa, in Hindustan, and Efa in Egypt. It occurs abundantly in many parts of India, and its distribution extends over South Asia and Northern Equatorial Africa. It has an average length of rather less than 2 feet, and occasionally exceeds the length of 2 feet by 1 or 2 inches; and it is reputed to be one of the most active and aggressive of the venomous serpents. The venom used by us was obtained in 1904 from Lieutenant-Colonel Bannerman, I. M. S., the Director of the Research Institute at Bombay. It was contained in a hermetically sealed glass tube, and was in the form of dry, glistening, and translucent scales of an amber colour, which consisted of the liquid venom that had been rapidly dried, immediately after it had been taken from living serpents, by the process of “milking.” In this thoroughly dry state no deterioration in activity or change in action is likely to occur, for at any rate many years, as one of us has shown in the case of cobra and other venoms (Fraser).