Two people were treated for snakebites at Changhua’s Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital late last month after they were bitten in two separate attacks that took place within one hour of each other. Coincidentally, both victims brought the offending snakes to the hospital, terrifying the medical staff.
A member of the medical team said that after being bitten by a snake, you should tell the hospital staff what kind of snake it was so they can administer the right kind of antivenom. Most patients make do with describing their attacker, and it’s very rare for the actual snake to be brought into the hospital. One of last month’s victims brought in a dead snake, while the other brought in a cobra, still very much alive.
At approximately 11am on the day of the attacks, the first patient was dropped off at the hospital by police officers. As soon as the car door opened, the patient leapt out of the vehicle and sprinted into the emergency room with the snake in his hand. As bystanders watched the snake wriggling and squirming, they were left wondering why anyone would consider treating a snake in the emergency room.
The man said he was working in a field when he spotted a snake in the grass. Since he’d caught snakes before, he decided he would grab it by its neck and then release it elsewhere. But in a momentary lapse of concentration, the snake bit him on a finger of his left hand, and although the pain was unbearable, he managed to hold on to the snake. He immediately summoned his friends for help, who then rushed him to the hospital on a scooter. On the way they stopped a police car and asked the officers for assistance.
Not long after the first patient had arrived, Changhua County firefighters brought another cobra bite victim to the hospital. The victim said he was pulling up the weeds around his house when he spotted a cobra in the grass. Before he had a chance to run away, he received a sharp bite on the forefinger of his right hand. In an act of self-defense, he grabbed a stick and thrashed the snake to death. He then put the snake in a bag and called the firefighters to take him to hospital.
A doctor on the emergency ward said that cobra venom is extremely poisonous, and that bites can lead to death, so anyone who is bitten by a cobra should immediately seek medical attention.
There are three kinds of cobras in Taiwan. One kind has a black belly, another a white, and a third one has a black and white belly. Snakes like to rest in cool places away from the sun, preferably in fields and bamboo forests. It is suggested that people use a stick to beat the grass and frighten the snakes when approaching bushes to scare away these reptiles.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
彰化彰濱秀傳醫院上個月底，於同一天一個小時內，分別有兩個人被野生眼鏡蛇咬傷就醫，巧的是這兩位病人都帶著「兇嫌」到醫院，現場醫護人員無不捏了一把冷汗。
醫護人員說，被蛇咬傷時，最好告知院方被哪種蛇咬傷，以利施打抗蛇毒血清。傷患通常都口述蛇的特徵，很少抓著毒蛇一起就醫。上月底就醫的兩位病人，一位帶著「屍體」，另一位帶的還是活生生，攻擊力強的眼鏡蛇。
那天上午十一時許，警車送第一位病人掛急診。車門一打開，病人跳下車衝進急診室時，手中還抓著眼鏡蛇，其他人看見眼鏡蛇晃動的模樣火速閃避，七嘴八舌討論起蛇為何被帶來「急診」。
那位病人說，他在田裡整地時，發現草叢裡有條眼鏡蛇。以前曾經徒手抓過蛇，於是伸手掐住蛇的脖子，準備抓到遠處放生。不料一個不留神，左手指頭硬是被蛇咬了一口，當時痛得不得了，但他沒有放掉手中的蛇。他趕緊求助朋友，以騎機車送他就醫。途中還攔下警車請求警方幫忙。
醫院收到第一位病人沒多久，彰化縣消防局又送來一名同樣被眼鏡蛇咬傷的傷患。傷患說，他在住家田園拔草時，看見草叢裡有條眼鏡蛇，他想逃離已經來不及，右手食指被眼鏡蛇狠狠咬了一口。他為了自衛，隨手拿起木棍打蛇，直到蛇斷氣後才裝進袋子，請消防人員送他就醫。
醫院急診醫師表示，眼鏡蛇毒液為高危險性神經毒液，被眼鏡蛇咬傷有致命風險，一定要立即就醫。
台灣野生眼鏡蛇分為黑腹、白腹、黑白腹三種。天氣炎熱，蛇會找陰涼處避暑，草叢、竹林是牠們的最愛，民眾接近草叢要先「打草驚蛇」，以棍子撥動草叢。
（自由時報記者張聰秋）
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