1970s Snake Bite kit with Condy’s Crystals
Apologies for rather long gap in my posts. Main excuse is that we have been mostly “on the move” since the unfortunate incident in Halls Creek. After picking up the new ute in Darwin and dealing with a chipped windscreen we got back into touring mode and enjoyed a leisurely trip back home via Kakadu and Limmen National parks and a couple of days at our VAQ before back to Brisbane. But then we had to get into dealing with damage done by the “tenants from hell” aided and abetted by the “agents from hell” at the old family house at 223. Then off to Gracemere to see Russell and preside over the installation of the new kitchen at Cath’s house or at least a “substantial start” made. Then a bout of shingles, back to Toowoomba again then to the VAQ to mow and move rocks. So much for leisurely retirement. I do plan to document our travels by plagiarising Ruth’s excellent journal but that may be a slow process.
My congratulations go out to the YouTube’rs etc. who put out material everyday while on the move. There must be money in it and harder work then a regular job.
All of that, this is to be a very brief post about a small item I found while clearing the hallway at Cath’s house at Gracemere preparatory to installing a new floor as part of Russel and Mary’s efforts to ensure that all the funds from selling Malchi are well spent.
The story is a bit topical as Ruth and I nearly ran over an enormous black snake (probably a Tipan) while “inspecting the stocks and herds” at Gracemere. We had two dogs on board the Kubota, fortunately neither gave chase. That is how these things happen. (Turned out to be one of Ralph’s last outings as age (a few weeks off 16 years) and cancer caught up with him a few days later.)
It is a small cylindrical wooden thing about12mm diameter and 65mm long. The sort of thing like an old cloths peg which you give no thought and toss straight in the bin, but this caught my inquisitive eye. It is in 3 pieces, one the cap of a small container, one the handle of a small “slasher” or knife and a cap over the knife. It was clearly something that Cedric, Ruth’s Father would have kept on hand as Gracemere is a snake haven with lots of water bringing lots of frogs etc for the snakes to eat. “Tim the Tipan” and his large family are legendary and frequently seen in and around the houses and grounds.
I have been carrying it around for some time intending to do this story. Question is with any of this old stuff is what to do with it? One can plan to keep it forever but where? how? It will carefully go in a draw to be thrown out by the next generation when overcome by cockroach poo like all the rest?
There is I think a paper label on the middle bit, but any text has long since evaporated.
The small container still held some flecks of what I presume is Condy’s Crystals (potassium permanganate KMnO4) variously noted as countering the venom or sterilising the wound. (Condy’s Crystals as I remember is a strong oxidising agent so would have killed most organic matter.) On the other hand, it might be cockroach poo which was everywhere!
I dimly remember my Dad speaking about these things and I believe the instructions would have been to make three deep parallel slashes across the wound and you or your mate was to suck the venom out. Would have been a pretty unpleasant procedure for all concerned.
Not sure how early these things were introduced for snake bite treatment, but they went out of fashion in the 1970s. Unfortunately, they did not work and often left rather severe wounds. Particularly distressing if it was not in fact a snake bite!
I don’t think they were ever a scam as such. Too early for that - scams had not yet been invented? I think they were genuinely thought to work which is understandable as sucking the venom out has instinctive intuitive appeal.
Also, not sure if they were just an Australian or predominantly Queensland thing. Most of my searches showed up Queensland references. Dad’s experience would have been from the Kimberly in Western Australia.
The current recommended first aid is much less dramatic. Modern treatment
Get the person away from the snake.
Ensure they rest and help them to stay calm.
Call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance.
Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage (see below).
Don’t wash the bite area — venom left on the skin can help identify the snake.
These instructions always rather amuse me as it all revolves around “Call triple zero”. If that is not an option, you are pretty well stuffed as you would have been in the old days. I have done several first aid courses and the basic message is “reassure the patient and call the ambulance”. None of the instructors had much advice beyond the DRABC, if this was not an option. A bit of a test as to what this meant - “Danger Response, Airway Breathing Circulation” I did have to check with Google. Think DRABC may also have gone out of fashion for a new anachronyms?
(I hear that identifying the snake is no longer necessary as the modern anti-venene covers all types of snakes.)
Check out The Asclepius Snakebite Foundation for an interesting comparison in Africa and an interesting modern kit scam. Interestingly they have snakes for which the immobilising bandage is not the thing.
Queensland Historical Atlas Lancet sounds much less painful than “slasher” but you get the idea. If I was “self-medicating” it would defiantly have been a slash not a surgical incision!
The Commissariat Store Museum Brisbane. Might have been nicely polished and screwed together but would still have hurt like hell!
Neither of these references gave much more information like instructions or history.