Thank, Jeff, very good observations. Except don't elevate the bite area, keep it low, below the heart. whatever help that would actually be. Jack Jones Public Events Coordinator Saguaro Astronomy Club Phoenix AZ Telescoper@xxxxxxx www.saguaroastro.org Jack makes some good points. While rattlesnake bites are seldom fatal for an adult, they can be very painful and cause problems for a long time. As Jack states the best thing to do is seek medical help ASAP. One thing you must be careful of is as Jack points out, don't get over excited. Try to stay calm. The idea of sucking venom out does not work. Once injected, it only takes seconds to start circulating if injected into a vein or artery. If injected into muscle or fat, circulation will take much longer, but sucking the venom out will be near impossible. More problems are created by cutting. While attempting to suck (via a suction bulb) cannot hurt, it is unlikely to help either. Again, the best thing to do is spend the time getting to medical help. If you cannot, next best is to try to relax, elevate the area of the bite and stay calm. Also, do not play with the snake. While this may sound strange, some people think they can easily kill or capture a snake. Snakes are very fast, much faster than your reaction time. Stay well away. Use a long stick to move or kill a snake or shoot it if you can. The cut off head of a rattlesnake can still bite you, it can't strike out, but if you get close it can still sink its fangs into you. Most of the time rattlesnakes will go out of their way to avoid you. If you surprise a snake or step on one, it will make them mad. Then you best get as far away as you can. Jeff At 12:37 -0700 5/22/05, Jack Jones wrote: >If I can remind us of the last time this topic came up, in order: > >1. Drop everything and get medical help immediately. >2. Try to keep subject as calm as possible to prevent the venom pumping thru >the system. >3. No cutting of the wound with knives or razors, no tourniquets, don't use >your mouth. Use suction bulb from quality kit (Sawyer or equiv), cheap ones >are worthless. > >Search keyword: snake bite > >Jack Jones >Public Events Coordinator >Saguaro Astronomy Club >Phoenix AZ >Telescoper@xxxxxxx >www.saguaroastro.org -- See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please send personal replies to the author, not the list.