Upon arrival at doctor’s or hospital, antivenom may be injected after the determination for serum sensitivity. Antivenin may be administered by a person other than a doctor, but this is recommended only in cases where a doctor or hospital is not readily accessible.
Snake bite kits are available at most drug stores and should be carried by persons or groups going into areas inhabited by poisonous snakes.
PRECAUTIONS
1. Don’t step over logs. Step on top and look before stepping down. 2. When climbing rocky ledges or turning over logs or rocks, don’t place hands where you can’t see. 3. When walking among leaves, rocks, or grass, look before you step. 4. Don’t keep poisonous snakes. 5. Learn to recognize by sight the poisonous snakes of your region, their habits and habitats.
References
Conant, Roger. 1958. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians. 366 pages. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. $3.95.
Klauber, Lawrence M. 1956. Rattlesnakes: their habits, life histories, and influences on mankind. 2 vols. University of California Press, Berkeley.
Minton, Sherman A. Snake-bite in the midwestern region. Quarterly Bulletin, Indiana University Medical Center, Vol. 14, No. 2.
Minton, Sherman A. Snakebite. Scientific American, January 1957, Vol. 196, No. 1.
Oliver, James A. 1955. The Natural History of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 359 pages. D. Van Nostrand Co., Princeton, N. J.