Cuts off hand; news story

[marisa]

Orissa doc cuts off palm to escapes snake!

By Bibhuti Mishra in Bhubaneswar
Wednesday, 16 July , 2003, 09:50

A doctor in an Orissa village cut off his left hand to get rid of a poisonous snake that had coiled around it. When Somanath Bahinipati, a homeopath in Khajuripada village in Khurda district, found the severed body of a cobra coiled round his hand he chose to chop off the palm and get rid of the snake rather than lose his life to a snake bite!
He had been busy trimming plants in his back garden, when the scythe accidentally cut the snake into two. However the snake dug its fangs deep into the palm of his left hand. The doctor panicked when despite his best efforts he could not shake off the severed snake, and in desperation, holding the knife with his right hand, Bahinipati chopped his palm off, alongwith the fangs of the snake!

Villagers rushed the profusely bleeding Bahinipati to the Kalinga Hospital in Bhubaneswar for treatment. They reportedly took the palm and the head of the snake to the hospital too. His condition is stable. He is reportedly relieved that he could save his life although he lost his palm.

[Vanan]

Them crazy Indians! lol. Although when you think about it, medical care in them parts isn't the best and there have been a high number of casualties to snake bites due to the potent venom of the native Naja.

[SCReptiles]

The true irony here is that the venom had probably already past into his forearm before he cut off his hand.

[Katt]

He only cut off the palm. And considering he's stable and not dead, guess it did something!

[snakemann87]

Ya venom doesnt take and hour to travel up the arm. I woulda thought it hit the arm already and him being a doctor woulda thought of that

[depressor86]

dry bite?

[Mike177]

i am no expert but i dont think you get dry bites too often with members of the elape family like you do with viperde. but i am not an expert some one please correnct me!

[BWSmith]

hmmm. A dry bite, huh? That could be. It could go either way. I am curious if there is any evidence relating to sudden trauma to the snake and envnomation. On the one hand, the sudden trauma obviously caused a severe bite reflex. This would be a defensive action, so I would think that venom would be injected in copious amounts given the circumstances. On the other hand, it may have been a simple biting reflex caused by massive nerve damage. Since snakes have the ability to meter their venom, the muscles around the venom gland may not contract, while jaw muscles may be an involuntary reaction from the trauma. :confused:

I don't know. But i sincerely doubt that cutting off the palm did much good. It may have removed some of the venom if the bite was subcu and in the lymph system. If it pierced into the circulatory system, then no good was accomplished.

[Mustangrde1]

Ok now I have to know was this in the Star or Enquirer or was this a actual story that really happened.And if this was a true story all i gotta say to the doctor in my best Homer Simpson voice . "" Dooooooooooh.

[snkmn]

nice story .but it is a horror story for us
herpers

[marisa]

It was from a reliable news source although I can't seem to find the original link now.

Its hardly "unthinkable" that someone did this. For one, he is a homeopath DR not a medical doctor like here. He probably had no better idea of what to do than anyone else.

And it does say his condition was stable on the same day so obviously it did help somehow. Or maybe no venom did get in. Who knows. Crazy story though!

Marisa

[Mustangrde1]

Very crazy . and thanks for looking for it