The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-09-27
FATALITIES FROM SNAKE BITE'
Not 50 Numerous As Commonly Sup
posed.

posed
Nature rewards her yotaries; II has
cnaneed that the writer has had album
dant opportunity to observe the effects
of snake bite, but always in others,
says s. H. Aaron in Golfers Weekly.
OF four persons and dog bitten by
rattlesnakes,four persons and horse
bitten by copperheads, and two persons
and a dog bitten by water moccasins
within my immediate knowledge, not
one case has proved fatal. have care
fully inquired into the authenticity Of
a larger number Of cases, mostly those
struck by the rattIesnake, and have
found but few fatalities among them
and no real evidence that they were
caused by the snake venom.
When the books record deaths after
snake bite they assume this 10 have
been the cause, but proof is wanting
Ordinarily blood poisoning may easily
result from careless treatment of the
fang wounds, and it seems apparent
that the greater number Of fatalities
are Of those surgicallv treated. The
most easily observed difference between
the action Of snake venom and ordinary
blood poison is the matter of time.
yet prolonged illness from snake bite
has occurred, sometimes Of a dfopsical
character; DEATH even, has followed
after As hours. Death from septieema
may occur in two days; it is more to
be dreaded than snake bite Nature
unaided can easily take care OF the lat
ter; the former has probably killed
many a snake-bitten man.
| knew a girl of IA in the pennsyl-
vania mountains. who was struck BY a
eoppernead snake twice on the bare III.
step; she was driving the cows from
pasture Having a CAD handy, she calm
ly killed the snake then returned to
the house. not one mite alarmed. and
made no mention Of the incident az
that time When tie poison began il
slightly banumbing action. she went to
bed supperless, and not thing was
done for her She was up late tile next
morning aud felt out Of sorts most Of
the day The third morning She Was
as well as ever 4 little later / OBJ
served tho fang marks and heard the
girls account OF the incident Ia tnis
case. at least, as with the baby, blood
poison did not play a part.
Having no means for medical treat
ment at hand, the best course to pursue
IT bitten BY venomous snake IS. First.
Keep calm. and don't imagine that You
are going to die, for you are not. Sec
ond, act quickly and sanely; much de-
ponds upon what IS done the first few
before the poison has a chance !
to disseminate. Third, make a ligatnre (
above the wound with d well knotted 4
bit Of clothing. or a
stout Irvine. and tighten with stick 4
thrust through the loop and twisted IN
IL the cloth sinks deeply into the skin. I
Fourth, sterilize a knife blade BY pass
ing it slowly through 4 match flame,
then cut into each fang puncture as
wide as the knife blade and about one
fourth of an inch in soft flesh; if I
against bone, the wound will be shall
low Fifth, squeeze the poison out with \
the flowing blood for minute or more
BY pinching the flesh deeply and an
around the wounds Sixth stop the
How Of blood with bit Of clean paper,
clean hands, and plentiful saliva. so as
10 cause a healthy scab, and thereby
very necessarily prevent blood poison
ing, which would prove in an already
part far more serious tnan
lalf dozen snake bites Seventh, re-
move the ligature to prevent gan@ene,
md remain as quiet as possible or move
'lowly to q convenient place Of rest.
Eighth, If depression Of the heart nc
ion il observed, take finger OF whisky,
rot more, and repeat the dose FREE
Iuently to accelerate heart action.
It may be well for anyone. especially
timid person, to carry vita him TO
my snake-infcsted camp, a pocket hypo-
lerinic case, containing a good clean
leedle and a vial Of potassium perman-
,anate crystals While the wound ii
bleeding from the knife cuts, produc-
NC deep purple color, FIJI the hypo-
lerrnie and infect the fluid into and
lose around both fang punctures. Then
top the blood. Permanganate solu.
ion when fresh il powerful oxidiz-
ng agent, and destroys the toxic char
.cter Of the venom whenever coming in
ontact with it, Rubbing lot of fine
Y ground crystals into the open wounds
lefore stopping the flow Of blood, may
'e resorted to when the hypodermie is
lot ut hand.
But above all, keep the wound clean
nd do not become frightened, remem-
ering that many persons and animals
ave suffered very little from snake
lite when not thing was done for
hem, and that Others have suffered