Naja tripudians

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

{Virus of Cobra.)

Description. — A highly venomous snake, inhabiting the East Indies. It is called the Hooded-snake; "serpent with the hood," etc. Its name is pronounced " Naya" or, as Webster spells it, " Naia." The bite of the cobra de capello is generally rapidly fatal. The virus is collected from the poison-sacs, above the fangs, as directed for Crotalus and Lachesis. One drop is triturated with one hundred grains of pure sugar of milk; the triturations are carried up to the 3d or 6th, or higher; then dilutions with strong alcohol.

Officinal Preparations. — Triturations of the virus; dilutions. Analogues.— Arsenicum, Cactus, Crotalus, Iberis, Lachesis, Mygale, Sumbul, Spigelia.

Mental Sphere.

Depression of spirits.

Broods over imaginary trouble.

Suicidal insanity.

[Du Chaillu, the great African traveler, says he witnessed the attempt of a native to charm this venomous serpent. In the attempt, the man was bitten. "The man suffered intensely; his body became swollen, his mind wandered, and his life was despaired of; but at last, he got better, and though complaining of great pain about the heart, he was soon able to go about again. A short time after, having an axe in his hand, going, as he said, to cut wood, he suddenly split his own head in two. He had become insane."]

"Wandering of the mind.

Head.

Waking with dull pain in head, attended by fluttering of the heart.

Heaviness over the eyes, with dryness of the throat.

0 Periodic, neuralgic "sick-headache," very severe, in the left orbital region, extending back into the occiput; the pain was aching and throbbing about the orbit, and drawing in the occiput; vomiting occurred after the pain had lasted several hours. (D. A. Colton.)

• Temporo-frontal headache, accompanied with great depression of spirits, and associated with spinal pain and palpitation of the heart. {Russell.)

Face and Eyes.

Livid face.

Eyelids of right eye swollen and livid.

Eyes fixed, pupils large, acting sluggishly to light.

Mouth and Throat.

• Grasping at the throat, with sense of choking. Convulsive movements of the mouth.

Clonic contraction of the sterno-mastoid muscles. Pressure and gagging in the throat. Rawness of the throat.

• Soreness and pricking in the left side of the throat.

• Constriction and dryness of the throat.

A constricted feeling, with dryness of the throat. Slight pricking in left side of the pharynx.

• Pharyngo-laryngeal inflammation, with dark red color of the

fauces, and spasmodic, irritable cough. {Russell.) Stomach and Abdomen. Tearing pain in the abdomen.

Pressure as from stones in the stomach, after each meal. ° Dyspepsia, with foul, white or yellowish-white tongue.

Rectum and Stool. Sudden desire to evacuate the bowels; stool light color, watery,

and discharged with great force. Diarrhoeic stools.

Uterus.

° "Violent crampy pain in region of left ovary. ° Ovarian congestive neuralgia, with violent palpitation of the heart.

Larynx and Trachea.

Failure of the respiratory function, pulse 32.

• Constriction or irritation of the larynx, giving rise to

coughing.

• Short, hoarse cough, with rawness in larynx and upper part

of trachea

Chest and Heart.

Palpitation of the heart, with uneasy dryness of the fauces.

0 Valvular disease, with loud regurgitation sounds; pulse 60, with general anasarca.

Fluttering of the heart, with rising in the throat.

A dull, warm pricking, in a multitude of points, in the right side of the chest, from fifth rib downwards, with heat extending up the bronchia into pharynx; a hard cough came on immediately, ending in expectoration of a little thick mucus.

Asthmatic constriction of chest for half an hour, with mucus expectoration.

0 Dyspnoea and prostration in organic diseases of the heart.

Great pain near the heart; swelling of the whole body; wandering of the mind.

Sense of dragging and anxiety at praecordia, occurring in great grief.

° Irritating, sympathetic cough in acute stage rheumatic carditis.

Naja acts primarily upon the nervous system. Especially upon the respiratory nerves, the pneumagastric and glosso-pharyngeal. (Dr. Russell.)

° For this reason we should expect this medicine to be of service in the irritating, sympathetic cough which attends organic disease of the heart. {Ib-)

0 Of the great value of Naja in organic disease of the heart, we are convinced by experience. (/J.)

0 The indications for Naja are the presence of an irritating, sympathetic cough, in the acute stage of rheumatic carditis, and afterwards, organic changes in the valves, giving rise to tumultuous action of the heart, violent, sudden throbbing, attended with endocardial murmur, and increased size of the organ. {Ib.)

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

The virus of the terrible cobra de capello has been partially proven by English physicians. The late Dr. J. R. Russell valued it very highly as a remedy in diseases of the heart. His opinion of its sphere of action is doubtless correct. He says : “ Naja acts primarily upon the nervous system ; especially upon the respiratory nerves, the pneumogastric, and the glosso-pharyngeal.”

In this respect it closely resembles Lachesis, another serpent poison.

Dr. Russell considers Naja very useful in the acute stage of rheumatic carditis ; and afterwards in organic changes in the valves giving rise to tumultuous action of the heart ; violent, sudden throbbing, attended with endocardial murmurs. But the keynote for the use of Naja, according to Dr. Russell, is the irritating, sympathetic cough occurring in heart diseases.

It is useful, however, in many spasmodic, nervous laryngeal disorders, nervous headaches, dyspnoea, etc., and will prove a useful remedy in practice when indicated.