Bob was walking in the woods one day when his life was put in great He had just stepped over a log when he felt a sharp stingon the back of his leg. He looked down and saw two small puncturewounds on his leg. The stinging sensation instantly went throughouthis body and that was when he saw a snake still laying beside thelog he had just stepped over. Bob had many questions runningthrough his head. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if thesnake was poisonous. Bob began to panic. What next? Is Bob goingto live? We will find out later but first lets learn more about thedangers of snakebites.What are snake bites? Snake bites are wounds inflicted by the mouth of a snake. Awound from a snake with short teeth and no fangs may look like aseries of scratches or tiny punctures. The twin puncture woundsusually associated with snakebites appear when the paired fangs ofa fanged snake break through the skin.(Encarta 99)Snakebites from nonpoisonous snakes are not serious but shouldbe cleansed with an antiseptic to prevent infection. The bite of apoisonous snake, which can inject venom into the body, may causea burning pain usually spreads rapidly from the place where youhave been bitten. Swelling and color changes in the skin follow soonafter. A person may feel feverish, thirsty, and sick at their stomach.They may even vomit.(Diseases-Encyclopedia)Bites by coral snakes produce somewhat different symptoms,including numbness, vision problems, and difficultyswallowing.(Diseases-Encyclopedia)The victim of a snakebite should seek first aid promptly. Anattempt should be made to identify the snake if it can be donesafely. First aid measures should focus on keeping the victim quietso that the heart rate remains normal, thereby slowing the spread ofvenom in the bloodstream. The area of the bite should be keptbelow the level of the heart. The victim should seek medicalattention immediately. Depending upon the victim’s symptoms andthe s...
