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CHAP. XVII. Of the Serpent called Haemorrhous.
THE Serpent Haemorrhous is so called, because by his biting hee causeth blood to droppe out of all the passages of the wounded bodie; hee is of a * 1.1 small bodie, of the bignesse of a viper, with else burning with a certaine fierie brightnesse, and a most beautifull skinne. The backe of him (as A∣vicen writes) is spotted with manie blacke and white spots, his necke little and his taile verie small: the part which he bites, forthwith growes blackish, by reason of the extinction of the native heat, which is extinguished by such poison which is con∣trarie thereto in its whole substance. Then followes a paine of the stomacke and heart, these parts being touched with the pestiferous qualitie of the poison. These paines are seconded by vomiting, the orifice of the ventricle being relaxed by a Di∣arrhaea, the retentive facultie of all the parts of the bellie being weakened, and the veines which are spred through the guts, not being able to retaine the blood contei∣ned in them. For the blood is seen to flow out, as in streams, from the nose, mouth, eares, fundament, privities, corners of the eies, rootes of the naile, and gums, which * 1.2 putrefie, the teeth falling out of them. Moreover there happens a difficultie of brea∣thing, and stoppage of the urine, with a deadlie convulsion.
The cure is forthwith to scarifie, and burne the bitten part, or else to cut it quite off, if that it may be done without danger of life, and then to use powerfullie draw∣ing Antidores.