One of the best methods of obtaining an idea of the action of any drug is to investigate the source and study the ecology. One of the first features that strikes us is the serpent lethargy. You have seen the creature at the "zoo", lying coiled up upon themselves, or upon one another, and you have difficulty in discerning whether they are dead or alive. So it is with the provers that they want to do nothing, and be left alone, but let anyone disturb them and they dart out in anger, ready to strike as the serpents themselves. The author has tried to give maximum amount of reliable information regarding snake venoms in minimum space.