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medicine for mountaineering- anyone read this? 9-Sep-2006 At 3:59:55 PM Andrew_M

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On 9/09/2006 AlanD wrote:
Australian snakes injet their venom
>into the skin, actually scatching the surface and leaving the venom on
>that region and this affects the lymph system, hence why we treat snake
>bites with pressure bandages. Most snakes around the world inject the venom
>deeper, into the blood system and hence why it's important to stop te circulation
>of the blood by the use of a tourniquet and to extract the venom.
>
Err...kind of...aren't all venoms initially spread by the lymphatic system, and isn't it more to do with the type of venom 'used' by each snake? Elapid snakes common in Aus have neurotoxin venoms which need to be kept from entering the bloodstream by the pressure/immobilisation method (a great Aussie invention BTW). Crotalid snakes from the Americas have venoms that act more as cytotoxins and cause increased local tissue injury which is made worse if you use the pressure/immob method. Some of this is touched on in book, but they only go into details about treating the snakes likely to be found in America. There are other examples of bias, but that's really a minor gripe.