The Influence of Snake Poison

(Sir) Joseph Fayrer was a highly regarded physician / surgeon who was knighted in 1876. During his war service Fayrer was appointed assistant surgeon in Bengal, India (1850). He remained in India for around 12 years and was professor of surgery at the Medical College of Calcutta from 1859 to 1872. During his time in India, Fayrer became fascinated with snakes and their venoms. He wrote the Thanatophidia of India (1872) - the standard work at the time on the poisonous snakes of India - and spent year researching the effects of snake venom and the physiological effects of their viruses in bite victims.

Joseph Fayrer was a strong opponent of the Halford method of ammonia injection for treating snake bite.