Will Snake Venom Kill You if You Swallow It?
The truth behind the myth of “suck out the venom” from a snakebite
It’s a fairly well-known bit of advice, one that we’ve heard from cartoons and old television shows: if a poisonous snake bites you, you (or a companion with you) needs to suck out the venom.
Usually, it’s a joke. “Suck out the venom!” “I only like you as a friend, not enough to put my mouth on there!”.
But is there truth behind the myth? Is it better to suck the venom out of a snakebite, or to leave it be?
And what happens to the Good Samaritan? Wouldn’t they die, anyway, from swallowing the venom?
Here’s how that venom actually works against us — and what happens when it goes into the mouth, rather than into our veins.
No matter the venomous snake, it’s all unpleasant
First off, we have to understand that there are many different types of venomous snakes, and they produce different types of venom. Venom from different snakes contains different compounds, and will affect us in different ways.
Venom tends to fall into at least one of three categories:
- Haemotoxic — it damages/destroys blood cells
