SNAKE - STONE, Pambn kallu, TAM., i8 term employed in tropical countries to various substances applied to snake-bites. Charred bone, bezoar, magnesian limestones, and chalk are used. The virtues of these depend on their abaorbent qualities; and earth lia.s been recom mended. Dr. Davy's belief was that in Ceylon a piece of charred bone is filled with blood perhaps several times, and theu carefully charred again, and he says the manufacture of them is a lucrative trade, carried on by tho monks of Manilla, who supply the merchants of India. Thunberg was shown the snake-stone used by the Boers at the Cape in 1772, which WILS imported for them from the Indics, especially from Malabar, at so high a price that few of the farmers could afford to possess themselves of it. He describes it as convex on one side, black, and so porous that when thrown into water it caused bubbles to rise ; and hence, by its absorbent qualities, it served, if speedily applied, to extract the poison froin the wound. Mr. Hardy furnished Sir J. E. Tenuent with an account of the pledra ponsona, the snake-stone of Mexico : Take a piece of hartshorn of any convenient size •and shape, cover it well round with grass or hay, enclose both in a thin piece of sheet copper well wrapped round them, and place the parcel in a charcoal fire till the bone is sufficiently charred. When
cold, remove the calcined horn from its envelope, when it will be ready for immediate use. In this state it will resemble a solid black fibrous substance, of the same shape and size as before it was subjected to this treatment. The wound being slightly punctured, apply the bone to the opening, to which it will adhere firmly for the space of two minutes ; and when it falls, it should be received into a basin of water. It should then be dried in a cloth, and again applied to the wound. But it will not adhere longer than about one minute. In like manner it may be applied a third time ; but now it will fall almost immediately, and nothing will cause it to adhere any more. These are quite insufficient to obviate the effects of a bite by the more poisonous snakes.