Is it a good idea to suck out the venom out of a rattlesnake bite? The protagonist in the new dystopian series Earth Abides seems to think so (and he survives the bite, so perhaps the producers of the series believe so as well). Likewise, doctors in the Middle Ages encouraged a good sucking to extract snakebite venom, especially if the sucker's mouth was first "rubbed with wine and oil."
But in reality, experts now believe this treatment is bogus after the New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 2002 concluding that the method had "no effect."
Or, even worse than having no effect, "doing this will only introduce infection and cause more damage," according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
So what would have been a more realistic way for Earth Abide's geology student, Ish Williams, to treat his painful snakebite?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the first thing to do is call for help. "Responding quickly in this type of emergency is vital." But in Ish's case, calling for help became impossible after he accidentally dropped his phone down a desert hillside and was nowhere near another person or phone.
Next things to do — and not to do:
Wash the bite with soap and water
Keep the bitten area still and lower than the heart.
Cover the area with a clean, cool compress or a moist dressing to ease swelling and discomfort. If the bite is from a coral snake, consider applying some firm pressure directly over the wound with a clean cloth and your hand.
Remove all rings, watches, and constrictive clothing, in case of swelling. …
Don't apply a tourniquet. This will cause more damage. It actually worsens your outcome and makes it more likely that you could lose your arm and or leg. That is because it keeps all of the toxin in one place and gives it more time to cause damage. It also cuts off blood supply to any healthy tissue, causing more damage.
Don't apply ice.
And most important of all, get help ASAP! (Although in Ish's case, it was actually good that he wasn't smart about it. Had he jumped in his car and sped to the nearest hospital before he fell into a days-long delirium, he probably would have died along with the rest of the population due to the global pandemic that wiped out nearly everyone on Earth. And then there would be no reason for the sci-fi series.)
Earth Abides, adapted from George R. Stewart's novel of the same name, is available on MGM+.
Previously: Jonathan Lethem reviews the 1959 adaptation of Earth Abides, starring Burt Lancaster
