Page 14 - Pharmacy History 23 July 2004

Snakebite Kits
WAS THE CURE WORSE THAN THE BITE? ASKS VINCENT J. LITTLE
Vince Little is a First Aid and Ambulance Historian both Civil & Military, who has been collecting First Aid memorabilia since he was 10. A previous article Triangular Bandages in History appeared in Pharmacy History Australia No 9, November 1999.
These small, and sometimes cunningly made, devices came in various shapes and sizes. They were made for the sole purpose of ensuring that when bitten, a victim would have the means necessary to survive the bite of a venomous snake.
Literature on this topic reveals
some rather bizarre treatments for
this unfortunate event. Treatments ranged from major excision of the bitten part and the application of gunpowder which was then ignited,
to the use of electric shock, and/or the administration of copious quantities of alcohol.
First aid manuals from the late 19th century until the 1960s seemed
to agree on the application of a tourniquet and the cut-and-suck method. Until the 1939-45 war, most first aid manuals used in Australia were written and published in England.
The snakebite kits described in this article were made in Australia and probably date from the early 1900s to the early 1960s. Collecting these devices preserves a unique piece
of Australiana. They are small and generally shaped in a cylindrical form, which makes them easy to mount
and frame. Prices paid for the items described ranged from $5-$120, the highest being for the doctor’s kit.
The manufacturers of these devices have long since gone and exact dating becomes challenging but reasonable approximations have been achieved. The name that stands out is Sanax from Melbourne.
The pride and joy of my collection is THE DOCTOR’S `SNAKE- BITE ANTIDOTE CASE. As one would expect, this kit looks far
more complicated than the devices for the layperson. This very neat kit contains a hypodermic syringe for injecting an antidote, and a very
fine glass syringe that could be used to suck the venom from the bitten area. This latter syringe incorporates several pieces, including the plunger consisting of two parts. There is also
a tiny glass vial containing Tabloid Strychnine. Tabloid was the brand name for a range of tablets produced by Burroughs, Wellcome & Co. who produced first aid and medical chests for some very famous expeditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The label shows that L. Bruck of Sydney supplied this kit, probably in the late 1800s or early 1900s.
Sanax snakebite and
spider bite lancets
These kits were designed to be carried in a pocket and are a fine example of woodcraft, with delicately threaded ends. Each kit contains a lancet, Condy’s Crystals (an antiseptic
for washing the wound), and a set of instructions. In the illustration showing the kits closed, the top
Sanax snakebite and spider bite lancets
example is displayed in its unopened condition with the instruction sheet wrapped around the barrel and sealed in cellophane. In the middle, the kit is displayed without the instructions, and shows that the lancet follows the suggestion of Sir Lauder Brunton,
a Scottish physician who reputedly established pharmacology as a science. He discovered that amyl nitrate relieves the pain of a cardiac condition known as angina pectoris.
The bottom example, the Samco, is shaped like a bullet. Unconfirmed sources suggest that it was similar in shape and size to a .303 rifle bullet, and so designed to be carried by shooters.
When the kits were open, the Condy’s Crystals were cunningly concealed in the opposite end to the lancet, and held in place with cotton wool. The date of these kits is around the1930s
The Dayspring
snakebite kit
The Dayspring Kit was made in Auburn, Sydney by Dayspring Health Services, probably dates to the late 1940s to 1950s. Like all snakebite kits for the non-medical person, it is a very neat package designed to be carried
in a pocket. The kit contains a small anodised metal device for pumping venom from the wound, a rubber constriction to act as a tourniquet, a separate lancet in its own wrapper, an antiseptic, and a stimulant known as Sal Volatile (an aromatic solution of ammonium carbonate).
The Sanax plastic wallet contains a red plastic barrel-type kit, as shown in
14 ■ Pharmacy History Australia
volume 2 ■ no 24 ■ November 2004