Myths and Beliefs regarding Snakes and Snake Bites….

When I encountered a victim of a snake bite recently, I was told by the bistanders of the patient (eventhough that case was a case of 'dry bite') that snake bit because they failed to perform a pooja for Naaga. While I asked them to explain more about it, I got to know that people in this century still believe those unscientific approach. I went on learning about beliefs/myths/stories about snakes and snake bites. These are some of my collections.

1) There is something which is popularly known as snake stone! It is believed that if it is placed on the bite wound, the stone sucks the poison which has been injected into the body by snakes. But in reality it does nothing. It may adsorb a little blood from bite site but certainly not the poison. Relying on snake stone may cause death to the victim of venomous snake bite.

2) In a few books on folk medicine, it is stated that poisonous snakes have four fangs. They are even named as makari, karaali, kaala raathri and yamadoothi. It is also stated in the books that if there only two fang marks at the site of the bite, no treatment is needed. If three marks are found, it is possible to save the life of the patient. It is also mentioned that if four fangs marks are found, death of the patient is a certainty. But reality, it is not so. In general venomous snakes have only two fangs. Sometimes one fang falls off. Even in such case, that snake can venoumate the victim effectively. Sometimes fang marks may not be visible as explained above in which case bite may be fatal. So, believing the text of folk medicines is dangerous!!


3) A few years back, it appeared in press that there was a person who could cure patient of snake bite from a long distance by his maanthrik power!!. Only thing what was to be done was to injorm him(? Maanthrak) over tele phone or telegram. Only gullible people may believe such cock and bull stories.

4) There is a belief among people that cobra bite can cure leprosy. Somewhat 80 yrs ago, a disater took place in Punacha village in South Canara district of Karnataka due to this belief. A patient of leprosy volunteered for bite by a cobra believing that he might be cure of leprosy. Result was just opposite. The poor leper succumbed to the cobra bite.

5) There is a strong belief that anyone who is having a “garuda rekha” (line of eagle), will not be affected by a poisonous snake bite. In reality it is not so!

6) There is also a belief that by applying incised rectum of a chicken to the site of the snake bite can absorb venom from the blood. This type of treatment is also a fatal.

7) There is also a belief in rural India that biting back the culprit snake can save the patient!

8) When I was a small boy of 8years, I was told by a few of my ignorant elders that if a cobra opens its hood, it is a symbol of giving a promise that it will not bite. But in fact, it opens the hood only to bite. I was a also told that The Indian Cobras do not bite unless there is a curse of some great persons, brahmins etc,. in south India, there is a belief in vogue that some untoward incident takes place-the cause behind it is “Naga dosha”. For this astrologists advice some rituals viz, ashlesha bali, sarpa samskaara(post mortem ceremony) as a remedy for naaga dosha.(Naaga=Cobra)

9) Snakes can leave without any food for a long time (few months). Those who observed this, came to a wrong conclusion that snakes can live only ‘eating ‘air. Because of this conclusion snakes were named Pawanahaari.(means air eaters)

10) It is stated in Materia Medica of homeopathy that if patient of snake bite drinks whisky until he gets fully dosed, no other treatment is necessary to get cured. But in case of neurotoxin snake bites like King cobra, Indian Cobra and varieties of krait will worsen the condition of the patient and will fatal too.

11) Among of the folk medical people there is a practice of patting the head with some branches of a particular plant. This only kills the time and patient and is of no use.

12) In India, there is a wide spread belief that if a cobra is caused to suffer pain by somebody, it does not forget the incidence and person who annoyed it for 12 yrs long and waits for a proper time to take revenge. This belief persists among educated people even in urban area. Even in movies, this superstition is magnified without limit which has created lots of strong believers!!

There are many Blind beliefs (all beliefs are blind). Some of which I could catch from my people and by refering some books. I am really shock to know about these beliefs. I will help my society to come out of these kind of beliefs and lead them towards HEALTH.

They Called me a hero!

I was chilling out last night at my warm and cozy bedroom reading some stuff for my upcoming exam. I got a phone call from my cousin. "Hey Sandy please rush to our place! We just saw a snake in our prayer room! Dad says it looks poisonous". It was already 11pm in the night. I grabbed my torchlight and rushed to their house which is five minutes away from my home. Well my medical background always makes me ask the history! So I asked them - how do you know the snake is in the prayer room? Everybody pounced on me and said "we were watching our favorite soap on TV and our main door was open. We saw it quickly entering the room through the main door. I knew it was Common Krait. Did I tell you it was raining very heavily? Common kraits are known to enter the house when the door is open. It cant climb heights or come through the window. Uncle was right in telling it looked poisonous.
It is a neurotoxic snake which enters house for warmth inside kacha house and is comfortable under mats where people sleep. When people turn around in their sleep, it gets hurt and bites injecting venom. The worst part of Krait Bite is it produces local anaesthasia at bite site and person at sleep will not know about bite. Since it is a neurotoxic, person is found unconscious or dead next morning. Moral of whole story is DONOT SLEEP ON FLOOR WITH MAT where Kraits are common. Rather sleep on COT to avoid it. But it is practically difficult among poor people in rural India where they donot even have a pacca house! I entered the room cautiosly. I saw it moving around in the Pooja room. I soon remembered the words of my tutor. I used a long pipe and a gunny bag tied to its end and moved the pipe close to it. It entered the pipe from one end and reached the gunny bag on the other end. Once I made sure it was inside the gunny bag I tied the mouth of the bag and put in my uncle's mahindra jeep and left it on to the near by balikanna forest!! I bid good bye to the scared snake. It was scared looking at so many huge men, and noices and vibration.
Well when I got back I was all praises! They called me a hero!! It is just the knowledge and presence of mind made it easy for me to handle this! When I got back home it was 2 am and I was wondering that this was such a coincidence because I had just started this blog and I had an incident to share. But unfortunately I had no time or the presence if mind to click pictures to show you guys!

Why are you scared of snakes?

We do not know about snakes.All we know is the bundle of unfolded beliefs inculcated in us from childhood and handed down from generation to generation as myths,superstitions,grandma tales, folklore and so on. First of all 80% of the snakes in rural India are non poisonous.Among the snake bites, poisonous bite are rear. fatality from a poisonous snake bite is also uncommon because around 50% of poisonous snake bites are dry bites or minimally venoumated bites. Okay..Now we shall consider venom of the snake.It is not targeted toward humans.The sole purpose of the snake in its life is not to bite humans. Venom is a glandular secretion developed over years in the snake to catch its prey and to digest it.Snakes bite humans only when it is attacked or injured.Remember it is we "homosapiens" the brainiest of all the species have invaded its space, built multistoried houses and buildings, cut down trees and left the snakes homeless. Poor thing!! Where else can it go? It has been in the planet earth much earlier than the humans evolved. Researchs say around 135 millions

years ahead of us!
It comes around humans during rainyseason and winter for warmth, or in search of rodents-their prey, or water. But why are we scared?
Mr Vijayraghavan rightly tells us in his book SNAKE BITE:A BOOK FOR INDIA the reason for the fright! I shall quote it as it is from his book-From the earliest times of the human race the snake had evoked a profound
sense of wonder,even reverence, and unspeakable fear in us.Its custom of silently appearing all on a sudden in unexpected places and disappearing equally suddenly and its ability to move in great speed despite being
limbless,its unblinking hypnotic stare,its forked tongue moving back and forth menacingly,its ability to hear inspite of having no earholes, its ability to swallow whole animals larger than itself,its ability to shed its skin entire periodically and emerging as it were a new life everytime,its presence of all manner of terrains in earth,under the soil,on high mountains,on trees,in lakes, rivvers and oceans and in all kinds of climate,its ability to go without food for months together,its psychosexual body imagery..
What we find too awesome and spine chilling about the snake is its capability to deliver death with a single strike.While most other animals kill their enemy with a lot of horrible voilence and blood shedding, the snake does that with speed ,effortless and neat!!

So take home point for today is- Yes! we are scared of snakes.But we need not. I shall in the subsequent posts try and share my views and numerous stories in my hospital about snake bite.