their enemies; whereas man is destined to seek the same advantages by dint of labour and reflection-that the fact exists, nor can it be proved by any instance more remarkable than the one that forms the subject of this letter.

Among the most valuable and interesting discoveries made, in the tropical regions, in favour of suffering humanity, certainly we may rank that of the preservative and cure for the bites of venomous serpents; a virtue subsisting in the Bejuco del Guaco, a species of bind-weed. This secret is understood to have been long known to some of the Indians in the tropical parts of South America; but, ever mindful of the injustice and cruelty of their conquest, this, as well as the knowledge of many other important facts, preserved by tradition, they have uniformly refused to communicate to their intruders; even the missionaries sent among them, on whom they placed the greatest reliance, and held in profound veneration, were unable to wrest the secret from them. The virtues of the plant in question were, however, recently discovered, almost in an accidental manner, as will be seen by the following details; but as experience of every kind has now manifested that by the possession of this specific, the envenomed bite of the most dangerous reptiles of the earth, so abundant in all the West Indies, is no longer a subject of serious alarm, it becomes of consequence that it should be more generally known.

The Negroes in the province of Chocó, dependant on the kingdom of Santa Fe, were the first who observed a bird, called the Guaco, pursue and fight with serpents; and, on closer examination, they discovered that these were the common food of this animal. Before we proceed any further, it will be proper to premise, that this bird must not be confounded with the one belonging to the species of herons, mentioned by Buffon, in the last volume of the Natural History of Birds, which he calls Guaco or Souaco, the name commonly given to it on the shores of Boulogne. The American Guaco, a denomination probably derived from the Indians, might rather enter into the class of carnivorous birds, under the head of hawks, as Catesby calls the Serpenthawk, (Expercier serpent,) from that reptile's being its food and object of destruction and may deserve the name in the same manner as does the Sparrow-hawk, &c. The Negroes perceived that the Guaco, when wounded in its severe battles, always recurred to a certain plant, and never appeared to receive material injury. When unable to kill its enemy, they also noticed, that it availed itself of the leaves of the same plant to lay him asleep, and he then became an easy prey. Pushing their discoveries and experiments still further, they eventually ascertained that this same plant, to which they afterwards gave the name of Guaco, in reference to the bird which had taught them its virtues, not only, in all cases, cured the poisonous bites of the above insects,

but also operated as a preservative against their destructive powers, when taken with a degree of frequency.

Matis, the celebrated botanist of Santa Fe, previous to the above discovery being properly known, had been astonished at the facility with which the Negroes, inhabiting the neighbourhood and borders of the river Magdalena, caught serpents, and carried them about in their hands and bosoms, without any dread or fatal effects; and, ever active in that spirit of research for which he was so much distinguished, the following experiments were made in his presence, and in that of several other botanists.

A Negro was obtained, well versed in the above dangerous trials, who brought with him a venomous serpent, known to the Spaniards by the name of Taya, in consequence of the white spots it has on the back something resembling the letter X. The Negro handled the serpent in every way he was desired, and gave it several blows, without its appearing roused or attemping to bite him. It was at first imagined that the serpent was not of the most venomous kind, or that the Negro had extracted its teeth; but on causing him to open its mouth, the rows of sharp teeth were found in perfect order, and ample assurances were moreover given, that it was of the most deadly species known in the provinces of Santa Fe. No further doubt was entertained of the efficacy of the preservative, and one of the gentlemen resolved to undergo the same experiment the Negro had just performed.

For this purpose, the Negro pressed the juice of a handful of the leaves of the Guaco-plant into a glass, and caused the person to drink two table spoonfuls, after which he inoculated some of the same juice into the skin. He made eight small incisions; one in each foot; one in each of the fleshy parts of the hands; again between the fore finger and thumb; and, lastly, on each side of the breast. On the appearance of blood, some of the jaice was poured on, and well rubbed with the pounded leaves of the plant; which operation being fully performed, the person, if bitten, is considered as perfectly cured, and besides prepared to handle any serpent of the worst kind at pleasure. Various experiments were then tried, both by Mutis and his companions, and all proved the evident powers of the juice. Several questions were also proposed to the Negro, respecting other plants; but he assured the byc-standers that he knew of no other as equally efficacious, and that this plant was always eaten by the Guaco or Serpent-bawk, when worsted by the serpents it attacked in search of food; moreover declaring that he had frequently witnessed the circumstance, and always noticed that the bird uniformly recurred to the same remedy.

The Guaco-plant is found indigenous in the neighbourhood of Maraquita, as well as in the hot and temperate parts of the vice-royalty of Santa Fe, and thrives singularly well on the mar

gins of rivulets and in damp places. The plant, as above noticed, has been called Guaco, a name that was found preserved by tradition among the Negroes, from whom the communication was received, but its genus is not yet determined in botany. Its root is fibrous, and extends in every direction. It is a species of creeper or bind-weed, and its climbing and adhering shoot is round when young, but angular when old, and set with opposite leaves. These are green, intermixed with purple, smooth below, rough above, and somewhat hairy. The flower rises like a crest, is yellow, flosculous, and four petals are seen in each calix. In the inside of the tassel of the flower, which is dented, are five stamina united to the apices. These, which are cylindrically shaped, surround the style, and contain long and bristly seeds.

Although, as a preservative, it was at first supposed unnecessary to inoculate with the juice of the Guaco-plant, under an impression that its effects on serpents arose out of the disagreeable smell the plant emits, it was nevertheless found that the mode usually practised by the Negroes possessed some peculiar advantages, and that in like manner as the virus of the small pox, introduced by the smallest orifice into the system, affects the whole mass of the blood, this also might have some strong communicative properties which rendered inoculation more safe and efficacious. The juice operates as a powerful anodyne, and creates in the patient a copious perspiration. When the cure has been performed in the manner above described, the native empirics nevertheless say, that it is advisable to continue the dose five or six times during the successive month, lest any of the venom should be left lurking behind. The repetition of the aforesaid process, moreover, tends constantly to maintain in the humours of the body the strong effects of the herb, which operates as a shield against future poison, even though at the time of being bitten the plant should not be at hand fo rub the wound and renew the dose. They further add, that the curative virtues of the plant subside if the same precaution is not used at the next increase of the moon, when it again becomes necessary to be inoculated by the hand of the empiric. This, however, is held out from no other than interested views, as the curing of serpents' bites among the Negroes is still a kind of trade; and both distinguished botanists and physicians have had ample and frequent proof, that the remedy and antidote are alike permanently efficacious. In fact, by the way of experiment, serpents have been handled long after the monthly period of inoculation had passed, though it is strongly recommended, in cases of trial, that the person should prepare himself half an hour before the serpent is taken into the hand, by a dose of the fresh juice, and previously rubbing his hands with the leaf, a practice that has been frequently followed with success.

The experiments hitherto made on this subject, have not clearly

pointed out whether it is the effluvia of the plant which act on the reptile by creating a kind of disgust, or whether an agreeable sersation is communicated, that lulls it, and makes it forget its natural malignity. It has, however, been noticed, that on spittle impreg nated with the juice, being cast on the head of the serpent, it appears to become drowsy, notwithstanding it was before in an irritated and restless state; whereas, when handled by the person who has been previously prepared, it is uneasy, and evinces a wish to escape. A considerable quantity of the juice being poured on two serpents, it was observed, that the sensation of stapor was not very durable, for, after the lapse of a short period, they recovered their accustomed vigour, and were as active as before they had been sprinkled.

The Guaco-plant is now applied, as a cure for the bite of all kinds of serpents, by the Spanish physicians in the tropical provinces of South America. In those of Venezuela and Caracas, its use is become so general, that it has been planted and reared on all the large estates; and every morning, when the labourers go out to work in the fields, a small calabash of the juice is carried with them, in case any misfortune happens to any of the people. This example is worth following in the West India Islands, where the plant may be easily obtained; and with this view the present details are given, chiefly taken from what has been written on the subject by emiment persons of the faculty in Lima and Santa Fe.

As before observed, the Guaco-plant, although not in use for more than twenty-five years, has been found to possess sovereign virtues, and to counteract the poison of all the snakes and serpents peculiar to the Spanish main; and experiments to this effect have there been made on the taya, as before-mentioned; the coral, or coral-snake, called so from its red colour; the cascabel, or rattle-snake; and a green one, found near the city of Giron. Indeed, no greater proof of the powerful effects of the plant in question can be brought forward than the case of the rattle-snake. The bite of the latter is both violent and grievous, nevertheless this remedy has proved efficacious to persons in the agony of death.

However, it is proper to remark, that to proceed safely in the care of persons bitten with serpents, the fresh leaf of the plant is necessary, and its juice by itself, or mixed with a small portion

Vallemont, in his Dictionaire Raisonné of Natural History (verb. Serpent), observes, that in Martinique a species of serpent is found, and there called the coule-sang, owing to the blood's gushing from every part of the person bitten. It is a small spe cies of serpent, inclining to the viper; the eyes glaring, the skin transparent, and potted with white and black. The body is thin, and the tail very small. As the effect of the poison of this reptile is different from that of any other serpent, which rather tends to coagulate the blood, possibly the Guaco-plant might not be More successful than alkalies, which, in this case, have been tried with less effect than acids: but, perhaps, this is the only solitary instance that can be mentioned as an

of warm water, is to be given to the patient in any period of the discase, and without any previous preparation. The chewed or bruised leaves are applied to the wound and the parts affected, and if the swelling has not gained the farthest extreme of the limb, the plant ought to be bound round the part to which the poison has not reached, in order that its progress may be there stopped. In the mean time, the dose must be repeated several times, and the patient may then throw aside his dread, and resume his customary occupations.

This plant has been found so efficacious as a remedy, in the tropical regions of the New World; the various experiments, made on both man and dogs, in the way of preventatives, have been so completely successful, that, besides the West Indies, it might be of the greatest service in Europe, where the plant also deserves the notice of the rational philanthropist, and the experiments of the public schools of medicine. Its virtues, once established, would render the plant an object of trade, and from this an essential relief might be derived to the ills of the human frame. The inhabitants of North America annually export a considerable quantity of snake-root; and it is to be hoped those of the southern continent will, ere long, be enabled to turn their attention to the number of herbs and gums with which their forests abound, for some of which we are already indebted to them, and that then the Guaco-plant may be reckoned in their list of exports.

If brought to this distance, perhaps the best method of conveying it would be, by extracting the juice, bottling it carefully, and packing it in a state of good preservation. This article might be abundantly supplied from Santa Fe, as well as many other parts of the main continent, and by a further chemical analysis it undoubtedly would be found to possess other commendable qualities, hitherto unknown. Even experiments already made, have proved that it is an excellent vermifuge, and the peculiar bitterness of the plant strongly corroborates the fact. It is also stomachic and tonic.

A species of creeper, or bind-weed, of partly a similar kind, is said by Father Gumilla to exist in Guayaquil; but its exact affinity with the Guaco-plant has not hitherto been traced. There is also another, mentioned by Mr. Jacquin, in his History of American plants, possessing properties not unlike those of the Guaco-plant, though different in genus and classification. This he describes under the name of aristolochia anguicida, stipulis cordatis, which answers to the description of the one called carate, in South America, of which the flower is denominated in Carthagena flor de alcatraz, or pelican-flower, from its resemblance to the bill of the pelican; and its virtues, though by no means equal to those of the Guaco-plant, have an affinity.