Maxim Article On Venom Extraction

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I only occasionally browse, Maxim, but saw the July issue with Rosie Huntington-Whitely on the cover and found also an article on extracting snake venom to make antivenom, also called antivenin. See page 83.

The photos are pretty good, including one of a long King Cobra being milked and images of some other very dangerous serpents. Conspicuously absent was discussion of the Gaboon viper and the puff adder. But the photos are good, although one milking asst. seems to be a woman whom I'd not like to meet. :eek:

But the interview with Rosie H-W makes up for her, and Rosie even admitted that she grew up a tomboy, enjoying shooting and hunting. Apparently, that is still possible on English farms, where she was raised. One suspects that she was limited to a shotgun, though.

The venom article could have been better if it had cited the amounts of venom of various species that it takes to kill an average 150 pound man. According to an old book I have by Minton and Minton, most cobras and the mambas need about 20 mg. to do you in, although the Yellow (Cape) cobra is more toxic, with 15 mg. The Boomslang needs just 1.5 mg, though! The sea snakes and certain Aussie species are even more toxic than the Boomslang.

A good read, and an unexpected one in, Maxim. This may or may not still be the issue on newsstands and in grocers. I bought mine at a used book store.

Thought you guys might like to read the "envenomating" comments. ;)
 
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OCD1 said:
Ya sure, for the articles right?:D
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Well, yeah. I turned a few more pages and on page 89, there's a swell little story on terrorists and the organizations that hunt them. Basic, but not bad.

Sure, I look at the photos of the chicks, but they have some good articles. BTW, the pics of Rosie H-W resemble those of her for Victoria's Secret before she turned actress to replace Megan Fox in the latest Transformers movie. I presume the interview with her was publicity for the movie, which is not the sort that I watch. It probably has too much computerization and excessive explosions.

T-Star
 
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Texas Star said:
\I presume the interview with her was publicity for the movie, which is not the sort that I watch. It probably has too much computerization and excessive explosions.

T-Star
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Too much computerization and excessive explosions? In a Michael Bay moive?! Surely you are mistaken. I expect that it will be a period costume drama set in the 1800s-era English countryside. I also assume that "Transformers" refers to the power of the central characters to transform from girls into young women through the power of emotional development and sisterhood.
 
Texas Star said:
I only occasionally browse, Maxim, but saw the July issue with Rosie Huntington-Whitely on the cover and found also an article on extracting snake venom to make antivenom, also called antivenin. See page 83.

The photos are pretty good, including one of a long King Cobra being milked and images of some other very dangerous serpents. Conspicuously absent was discussion of the Gaboon viper and the puff adder. But the photos are good, although one milking asst. seems to be a woman whom I'd not like to meet. :eek:

But the interview with Rosie H-W makes up for her, and Rosie even admitted that she grew up a tomboy, enjoying shooting and hunting. Apparently, that is still possible on English farms, where she was raised. One suspects that she was limited to a shotgun, though.

The venom article could have been better if it had cited the amounts of venom of various species that it takes to kill an average 150 pound man. According to an old book I have by Minton and Minton, most cobras and the mambas need about 20 mg. to do you in, although the Yellow (Cape) cobra is more toxic, with 15 mg. The Boomslang needs just 1.5 mg, though! The sea snakes and certain Aussie species are even more toxic than the Boomslang.

A good read, and an unexpected one in, Maxim. This may or may not still be the issue on newsstands and in grocers. I bought mine at a used book store.

Thought you guys might like to read the "envenomating" comments. ;)
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I'd like to read the article. The Gaboon and Puff are, by far, my favorites of the venemous species.
 
cass said:
I'd like to read the article. The Gaboon and Puff are, by far, my favorites of the venemous species.
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I once read a medical evaluation of Dr. Marlin Perkins's experience after being bitten on a finger by just one fang of a Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) He nearly died.

The puff adder (Bitis arietans) kills more people in Africa every year than do cobras and mambas.

You don't see much on the related River Jack or Rhino Viper, Bitis nasicornis, if memory serves. I suspect that most bites take place far from civilization and the victims don't live long enough to see a doctor.

I've seen the Gaboon form in zoos and they are both ugly and impressive. The subtle tans and purples are pretty, and help the snake to blend right into the forest floor.

Can anyone post snake pics here without running afoul of the copyright issue? Those mentioned are very colorful.

BTW, the venom extraction chief in the article has great respect for the Eastern Diamondback. But they sort of brushed off the very dangerous Mojave rattler. The writer helped to milk an Eastern Diamondback, and said he was surprised at how strong it was.
 
Texas Star said:
I once read a medical evaluation of Dr. Marlin Perkins's experience after being bitten on a finger by just one fang of a Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) He nearly died.

The puff adder (Bitis arietans) kills more people in Africa every year than do cobras and mambas.

You don't see much on the related River Jack or Rhino Viper, Bitis nasicornis, if memory serves. I suspect that most bites take place far from civilization and the victims don't live long enough to see a doctor.

I've seen the Gaboon form in zoos and they are both ugly and impressive. The subtle tans and purples are pretty, and help the snake to blend right into the forest floor.

Can anyone post snake pics here without running afoul of the copyright issue? Those mentioned are very colorful.

BTW, the venom extraction chief in the article has great respect for the Eastern Diamondback. But they sort of brushed off the very dangerous Mojave rattler. The writer helped to milk an Eastern Diamondback, and said he was surprised at how strong it was.
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The Eastern is indeed strong. I have small hands, and after my first attempt to hold one, my finger spread/strength was not enough to counter his neck strength. As for the Gaboon, they shed their fangs with each meal, through the stool, so a loose fang in the soil, or cage material, can, and has, resulted in serious "bites". Very impresive animals.
 
A Maxim article about milking snakes...are you trying to get someone banned? :D

Imagine stepping in snake ****, only to discover it gets worse...you've been fanged, also! Talk about a bad day...

(Funny, the software edited c_r_a_p. It makes it look like I wrote another analogous 4 letter word, when I didn't.)
 
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cass said:
The Eastern is indeed strong. I have small hands, and after my first attempt to hold one, my finger spread/strength was not enough to counter his neck strength. As for the Gaboon, they shed their fangs with each meal, through the stool, so a loose fang in the soil, or cage material, can, and has, resulted in serious "bites". Very impresive animals.
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That's fascinating! BTW, what happened with the rattler whose neck you couldn't control? I hope you didn't get bitten?

T-Star
 
Texas Star said:
That's fascinating! BTW, what happened with the rattler whose neck you couldn't control? I hope you didn't get bitten?

T-Star
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The way we handled the venomous reptiles in our area (Texas),was with the first finger pressing down on the center of the head, the thumb on the left side of the jaw, and the second finger on the right side of the jaw. Very common and "safe" method. With the Eastern (it wasn't an unusually large one), when I released the pressure from the snake hook and started to raise him, I realized that his neck was too wide for a safe grip and I knew that all he had to do was jerk, and I'd get tagged - I quickly dropped him. I didn't get bitten. The way the folks that handle the Easterns on a regular basis is with the thumb under the lower jaw and the first finger/fist circling over the top of the neck. To me, all the snake has to do is slightly turn his head and his fangs are within easy reach of either the thumb or finger. I refuse to handle any snake in that manner, and don't handle any venomous snakes now due to age and blood thinners. Leave that to the younger herps.
 
I don't subscribe or won't allow it in the house. Maxim is one of the if not the most popular magazines in jail and prisons because they won't allow porn. But what got me was in one months issue there was an article on how to make a weapon with a bar of soap. it was an entire page full write up with illustrations and a step by step. I found it in an inmate's cell, one who had fought with us in the past and was particularly violent so I had to write up paperwork on it and we tried to get the magazine banned from our facility to no avail, so I will have nothing to do with it.
 
David LaPell said:
I don't subscribe or won't allow it in the house. Maxim is one of the if not the most popular magazines in jail and prisons because they won't allow porn. But what got me was in one months issue there was an article on how to make a weapon with a bar of soap. it was an entire page full write up with illustrations and a step by step. I found it in an inmate's cell, one who had fought with us in the past and was particularly violent so I had to write up paperwork on it and we tried to get the magazine banned from our facility to no avail, so I will have nothing to do with it.
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I banned EVERYTHING in my jail, all magazine, newspapers....paperback novels are allowed..other than that, you can read your indictment, or your letter from your girlfriend telling you how she TRIED to wait for you, but Joey from down the street was sooooo good to her kids.....
 
sheriffoconee said:
I banned EVERYTHING in my jail, all magazine, newspapers....paperback novels are allowed..other than that, you can read your indictment, or your letter from your girlfriend telling you how she TRIED to wait for you, but Joey from down the street was sooooo good to her kids.....
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Damn,I don't wanna do time in your jail.:D
 
Reminds me of the old joke where a guy gets bitten on the tallywacker, his friend runs to the doctor and the doctor tells him to use a blade, score the bite marks and suck out the venom.

When he got back to the victim, the poor guy asked him what the doctor said and he replied...

The doctor says you're gonna die.


Don't worry folks, I'll be here all week...don't forget to tip your waiter.
 
OCD1 said:
I like the Venom Doctor or some such name on Animal Planet, If you ever get nailed by a snake he is the guy you want on your side. Works out of California I believe.

This Doc:

Emergency Medicine Residency Program - Dr. Bush of Venom ER - LLUMC emergency medicine
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I used to get the Animal Planet channel and very much enjoyed Dr. Sean Bush's cases. He gave me a better understanding of the virulence of the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, which is not much discussed in the snake books I have.

BTW, if you have any of the volumes by Dr. Sherman Minton, Jr., I checked on the net yesterday, and he died in 1999. His research and reporting on venomous reptiles was among the best. From what I gleaned from the Net, his father was a famous Supreme Court Justice and a US Senator. I hadn't known that.

As for the two posts about which magazines are widely read in jails, I am not recommending, Maxim in general, and certainly, I don't think our members are likely to resemble those who do their reading in cells. This is about an article on snake venom that happened to be published in that title. I certainly don't recommend, Rolling Stone, but once bought a copy to read an article about a shark attack on a surfer. I wish we still had magazines like, True and Argosy, where such stories might appear. But we don't.

I'm pretty sure that the average reader of, Maxim is more likely to be a frat rat in college than a thug in jail. Those who do reside there presumably read what they can get, and that a given title is read by some such people shouldn't tar and feather the magazine's overall image. But that isn't what this topic is about. It's about extracting snake venom.

However, I must say, the idea of making a weapon from a bar of soap is intriguing. Didn't John Dillinger or some other famous crook once carve a "gun" from soap?

T-Star
 
cass said:
The way we handled the venomous reptiles in our area (Texas),was with the first finger pressing down on the center of the head, the thumb on the left side of the jaw, and the second finger on the right side of the jaw. Very common and "safe" method. With the Eastern (it wasn't an unusually large one), when I released the pressure from the snake hook and started to raise him, I realized that his neck was too wide for a safe grip and I knew that all he had to do was jerk, and I'd get tagged - I quickly dropped him. I didn't get bitten. The way the folks that handle the Easterns on a regular basis is with the thumb under the lower jaw and the first finger/fist circling over the top of the neck. To me, all the snake has to do is slightly turn his head and his fangs are within easy reach of either the thumb or finger. I refuse to handle any snake in that manner, and don't handle any venomous snakes now due to age and blood thinners. Leave that to the younger herps.
Click to expand...



One of the African vipers, I think the mole viper, has a neck that is especially adept at twisting around to let the serpent bite a hand holding it.

You made a good point about snake head holds. Personally, I don't touch them! :eek:
 
sheriffoconee said:
I banned EVERYTHING in my jail, all magazine, newspapers....paperback novels are allowed..other than that, you can read your indictment, or your letter from your girlfriend telling you how she TRIED to wait for you, but Joey from down the street was sooooo good to her kids.....
Click to expand...

What no TV, Internet either?? What about our rights??;)

I'm not speeding in your County when we come up to visit.
 
When my daughter was born, my wife had an episode of post-partum bleeding. At the emergency room, the Dr noticed me looking (and criticizing) a poster on snake identification.We got talking and he later mailed me an article on a new procedure on ER treatment of pit-viper venom.

After graduation, I helped teach a jungle ecology class in Belize and Guatemala. The night before we crossed the border, I told the class that although we had been dealing with the typical lance-heads (palm vipers, etc), we would be in bushmaster territory and that bushmasters hunted their prey by sight; they should be VERY careful and dress colorfully. We had people wearing lime green pants with hunter orange shirts, Hawaiian shirts and Burmudas in the most garish combinations. The Prof and I about died laughing and then gave them an extra 15 minutes to go change before we started the drive.
 
BearBio said:
When my daughter was born, my wife had an episode of post-partum bleeding. At the emergency room, the Dr noticed me looking (and criticizing) a poster on snake identification.We got talking and he later mailed me an article on a new procedure on ER treatment of pit-viper venom.

After graduation, I helped teach a jungle ecology class in Belize and Guatemala. The night before we crossed the border, I told the class that although we had been dealing with the typical lance-heads (palm vipers, etc), we would be in bushmaster territory and that bushmasters hunted their prey by sight; they should be VERY careful and dress colorfully. We had people wearing lime green pants with hunter orange shirts, Hawaiian shirts and Burmudas in the most garish combinations. The Prof and I about died laughing and then gave them an extra 15 minutes to go change before we started the drive.
Click to expand...


Now, that is too funny to just click "Like"! :D :D :D

BTW, I bet that some of the other lanceheads like Bothrops atrox account for more fatalities than do Bushmasters.
 
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