SERPENT RAISING

Evening Star, Issue 21622, 18 January 1934, Page 13

SERPENT RAISING

BREEDING FARMS IN BRAZIL A French scientist has discovered that .cobra' venom injected in doses of onetenth of a milligram has the power of alleviating pain, in certain/mciiruble diseases, more completely and for a ■ longer period, than any other opiate. To h ave this venom always fresh and in . sufficient quantities this scientist has begun raising cobras on:'a small scale and having them “ milked ” regularly i every two or three weeks according to Ins requirements, says Oscar Millard, in the -Melbourne ‘ Argus. . There is nothing new in the idea of using snake venom as an opiate or in keeping a serpent “ farm.” More than 1,000 years ago Hindu fakirs knew more about the medicinal properties of venom than does any modern specialist, and ■ its use as a curative drug is still comjnoii among natives in many parts of India, In Brazil snake fanning is an ’established institution. ‘No place in the ■ 'world has such a wide variety of venomous snakes. Hundreds of different Species have been catalogued by scientists, and, in the unexplored interior, they believe, there are many hundreds more about which they know nothing. Not many years ago snakes took such a heavy toll of native workers on the coffee plantations that the Brazilian Government had a farm built in the hills above the city of Sao Paulo to breed certain snqkes for their venom. This farm presents a strange appearance., Surrounding the white laboratory buildings is a spacious park, separated from the road by a wide moat and a concrete embankment. The lawns of this park, .divided into enclosures by ditches and banks, are dotted with tiny concrete hives. These are the houses of the captive serpents, which lead agreeable’ lives. GREAT CARE TAKEN. Their huts are cleaned out every daV, and they are well fed on a varied diet ; of live rats and small game. Every ■ fortnight they are “ milked.” This op- 1 eration would be extremely dangerous were it not for tlie skill of the operator. A faEr mnlenient would mean several hours oi ghastly, agony, for .the snakes

which are farmed are those whose bite •is the most deadly. But with long practice such skill ds acquired that accidents are rare. In fact, the milking of these reptiles is quicker and looks much easier than milking a cow. The keeper wears high leather boots, but otherwise he is unprotected from the hissing, seething mass through which he threads his way in quest of the particular species from which he intends to extract venom.

In his left hand he carries a hooked stick, with which, after catching sight f the required snake, he removes it Vom the ground and at the same time •rips it close behind the head with the right hand. The assistant chemist who is following him then holds out a small glass bowl under the snake’s head while the keeper slides his thumb and forefinger over the venom glands in the reptile’s throat, Sharp pressure on these glands forces tjie mouth open, and the amber-coloured venom drips from the fangs into the bowl. Unharmed, but now harmless and conscious of its impotence, the snake falls limply to the ground and scuttles out of sight asj'f ashamed. A certain quantity of the venom thus obtained is kept’for medicinal purposes. The remainder is injected into horsess, from which the serum is taken. It is this serum, and not the venom, whch is used as an antidote for snake poisoning. WOUND INDICATES THE SNAKE. Just as the venom and its effects vary with the species of serpent, so the aspect of the wound caused by the fangs differs. Experienced doctors can recognise immediately from the form of the puncture the variety of snake that has caused the wound, and they are thus able to inject the correct serum. Few European doctors, however, have sufficient knowledge to identify unerringly the species from the appearance of the bite. The specialists at the Sao Paulo institute have therefore evolved a polyvalent serum which is effective against every known species ol venomous serpent. Not content with merely protecting humanity against the results of snake bites, these Brazilian scientists have undertaken the tremendous task of ridding the world of the serpent peril. Their ally in this crusade is a small but very powerful non-venqmous snake whose immunity from the bites of other reptiles makes it their mortal enemy. Pitted against vipers, cobras, and rattlesnakes the mussuranna always wins. Impervious to their deadly fangs it crushes them in its powerlul coils and eats them whole. Until recent years this species represented an infinitely small minority. By intensive breeding on their farm and by wide propaganda to prevent their destruction the scientists of Sao Paulo hope to inundate the forests and the fringe of the jungle and in time to bring about the extermination of all the venomous snakes near civilisation.