Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-07-07
WHEN THE
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tn eheart is stopped if s~uffocation
has not already caused death. The
blue color accompanying snake bite
is due to arrested circulation of the
blood and destruction of the cor
puScleS.
When a snake buries its fangs in
human flesh what is to be done?
Try to kill the snake? No. Run
for help? No. Yet it is a time for
heroic action and a failure in cour-
age means almost certain death.
You cannot prevent some Of the
poison getting into the other parts
Of the body for in less than 80 sec
onds a little Of the venom will be
carried to every organ in the body;
but, you al remove or hold back
most Of the poison from the blood.
If you have no handkerchief that
will serve as a tourniquet, that is a
tight bandage, tear one out of your
clothing, tie it loosely around the
arm or leg a little above the wound,
then put a stick through it and
twist 1t tight. When this is done if
you have O knife, cut a deep X
shaped cash over each fang mark.
If no knife is at hand use thorns or
a yucca dagger" and jab it into the
flesh in several places around and
in the wounds. Now you are ready
to walk for aid, and if you are COM
PEELED to go quite q distance 1t IS
best to loosen the tourniqUet for a
few seconds occasionally. These are
old and unsatisfactory emergency
methods and anyone who deliber-
ately goes where the hazard of
snakes is even slight should go pre-
pared to meet any possible accident
in the best modern ways. 1t has
long been known that the venom
Of snakes can be inactivated or
n~eutralized by most powerful oxi-
dizing substances. The most sub
stances. The most effective poison
killer" of this type is "perman-
ganate of potash" Of the druggist or
simply potassium permanganate. 1t
is a purplish black crystalline sub
stance thta leaves brownish black
discoloration on the skin and pro-
duces an intence purple color in
water. 1t will inactivate three
times its weight Of snake venom, but
when used in any but very dilute
solutions causes sloughing Of the
flesh-better to loose a little flesh
however than die from the poison.
The permanganate may be carried
as CRYSTALS and these put into the
wound made with the knife or bet
ter 1t may be carried as a redish
purple solution or a solution made
I'D on the spot if water is available
and the wound bathed in it or, bet
ter still if one is afraid of lacking
courage to cut himself with a knife
a hypodermic needle and syringe
may be carried. In cas- the needle
and syringe are at hand, probe the
fang wound with the needle sucking
out anv fluid that NAV be drawn
out with it, then fill the syringe
with permanganate solution and in
iect it into the snake wound and
into several regions around II, and
especially above the bite. Give or
zen C. c. of solution should be suf-
ficient). When this Is done the
tourniquet should remain on while
going quickly to q physician.
Pigeons Immune
In 1887 a man by the name OF
Sewall discovered that pigeons de-
velcp immunity to snake poison.
He and others Immediately set to
work to develop such immunity in
other animals end to take their
serum "antidote" for snake venom
blood after the red and white cor
puscles are removed, and inject this
into other non-immune animals and
men when bitten by snakes. This
serum "antidate" for snake venom
is called ~"antivenin," and Is pre-
pared by many manufacturers OF BIZ
ologic specifies, that is. substances
derived from or produced by organ
isnS and effective in the treatment
of diseases in other ORGANISMS. This
'antivenin" may be obtained from
nearly any druggist at the rate of
ten to fifteen dollars per dose. The
whole dose is injected into the BODY
as explained in the directions and IS
sufficient to n~eutralize il ordinary
bites. unless the amount Of poison
injected bv the snake is very great,
in which case two doses nav be re-
nuired. The "antivarin" does not
keep well unless it is kept cold erd
therefore if carried in the field
would have to be replaced by fresh
material every few weeks, and this
would be very expensive. therefore
the permanganate treatment Is ner-
hans most practical in the field at
present and one should supplement
it with the ~antivenin treatment by
a physician.
Another very poisonous but not
very dangerous snake Of this region
that Is very different from the
rattlesnakes is the Coral" Or 'Hsr-
loquin" snake. This is q beautiful