Reptile & Amphibian Forums

SIFY NEWS (India) 16 July 03 Orissa doc cuts off palm to escapes snake! (Bibhuti Mishra)
Bhubaneswar: A doctor in an Orissa village cut off his left hand to get rid of a poisonous snake that had coiled around it. When Somanath Bahinipati, a homeopath in Khajuripada village in Khurda district, found the severed body of a cobra coiled round his hand he chose to chop off the palm and get rid of the snake rather than lose his life to a snake bite!
He had been busy trimming plants in his back garden, when the scythe accidentally cut the snake into two. However the snake dug its fangs deep into the palm of his left hand. The doctor panicked when despite his best efforts he could not shake off the severed snake, and in desperation, holding the knife with his right hand, Bahinipati chopped his palm off, alongwith the fangs of the snake!
Villagers rushed the profusely bleeding Bahinipati to the Kalinga Hospital in Bhubaneswar for treatment. They reportedly took the palm and the head of the snake to the hospital too. His condition is stable. He is reportedly relieved that he could save his life although he lost his palm.
Orissa doc cuts off palm to escapes snake!

..

Man. I wonder exactly what is meant by cutting off palm. From the wording, it sounds like he cut the meat off his palm. It does not seem to say that he cut off his hand.

This is one story that could use a picture. Though, I guess the picture would be pretty graphic. Maybe that is why they didn't include a pic.

I am just saying that a picture would really clarify exactly how much flesh was cut off. Also, he must have cut it off pretty darn fast--since it does seem that he had prevented most of the venom from getting to the rest of his body.

Very very interesting story. Never would have figured that trimming the hedges is such risky business.

Cheers.
-----
Longtang. I like snakes and rats.