[58]. Ibid. p. 5-6.
Most surprising this! to see an Army of Flesh and Blood, tremble and fall before a single Atom of Matter! to see the Cedars of Lebanon demolish’d by the single Stroke of a contemptible Worm. So in the Moral World. Even in the Paradisaical State, how malignant the Poison of forbidden Fruit that spread Mortality over the whole human Race, and will affect Millions; dreadful Effects of once eating forbidden Fruit! What a World of Evils flows from one Disease or Disorder in the human Nature! It was by one false Step the unquenchable Fire was first kindled.
II. That Poison is not so dangerous, if it does not mix with the Blood. Even that venemous Liquid may be tasted, yea, and swallow’d without mortal Effects, say some of the Learned. Hence it is, wounded Persons have been directed to get the Venom immediately suck’d out, which has been practis’d without ill Consequences to the Sucker.
For this Method of curing venemous Wounds by Suction, Avicenna, an old Arabian Philosopher and physician, is quoted; who says, that those who suck out the Poison are in no danger, so their Teeth be sound and perfect, and their Mouths be free from all Ulcers. At Rome was an Order of Servants whose Office was to suck venemous Wounds, which they did with Safety and Applause[[59]].
[59]. Sr. Redi, p. 185.
“Many acid Substances taken into the Stomach, are, by its action turned into Alcalious; so there is no question but these saline Spicula are, partly by the muscular Motion of the Fibres, partly by the salival Juice, all broken and dissolved; or if any escape into the Intestines, the Balsam of the Bile will be an Antidote for them. p. 14.”
Creatures reputed venemous, are indeed no Poisons when swallowed, tho’ the Venom may prove so when put into Wounds.
The Venom that falls upon the Skin, is not so mischievous as that which enters into the Stomach, or is communicated by a Wound. “Yea, the Venom of a Viper, in itself, is not mortal to a robust and strong Body; and tho’ very unhappy and mischievous Accidents attend it, as Convulsions, Vomitings, &c.” yet in eight or ten Days at most, these are over; tho’ the Patient may be very ill, yet he recovers, while the Poison having run thro’ divers Parts of the Body, at last always throws itself into the Scrotum, and is discharg’d by a great Quantity of Urine: This Evacuation being the ordinary and most certain Crisis of the Disease[[60]].
[60]. Philosoph. Transactions abridged by Lowthorp, Vol. II. p. 814. Noxia Serpentum est admisso sanguine partis. Lucani Pharsalia. Amstelod. Edit. p. 266.
The Water—which amphibious Serpents frequent, receives no venemous Tincture from them. When Marcus Cato commanded in Africa (the Element of poisonous Animals) he had in his Army a Number of those Natives called Psylli and Marci, the supposed Aversion of Serpents, and who suck’d the Wounds of those hurt by them. It is said, these Psyllians inchanted Serpents, who fled at the sight of them, as if their Bodies exhaled some corpuscular Effluviums that were most offensive to Serpents, and put them into such pain that made them run. To these, the General added another Set of Persons, famous for curing the wounded by other Methods; and all little enough, Serpents being the Lords of the Country through which they were to pass[[61]].