# What snake venom does to blood - fascinating video **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926 "2012-07-21T04:22:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/1 "2012-07-21T04:22:18Z")
Remarkable! [This is What Snake Venom Does to Blood!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=4WvnjCkLbvY) ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/2 "2012-07-21T04:55:21Z")
Damn nature, you scary! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Chaschowy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@Justin\_Chaschowy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Chaschowy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/3 "2012-07-21T04:57:39Z")
Is anyone craving some jello right about now? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/4 "2012-07-21T05:04:15Z")
I guess that one was a neurotoxin, because it was a cobra. I wonder what a hemotoxin does to a goblet of blood? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/5 "2012-07-21T05:19:41Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I guess that one was a neurotoxin, because it was a cobra. I wonder what a hemotoxin does to a goblet of blood? Do we know that snake is a cobra or a snake that uses a neurotoxin? The poster only mentions that he or she was looking for information on Cobra perfume. I’m guessing the snake in the video actually does inject a hemotoxin. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/6 "2012-07-21T05:32:37Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I guess that one was a neurotoxin, because it was a cobra. I wonder what a hemotoxin does to a goblet of blood? It was a [Russell’s Viper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daboia), as indicated in the comment on the video. It has hemotoxic venom which so effective for blood clotting that it is used in diagnostic tests. Cobras have fixed fangs, unlike the movable fangs that vipers have. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/7 "2012-07-21T05:33:45Z")
> [@Mister\_Owl](#): > > Do we know that snake is a cobra or a snake that uses a neurotoxin? The poster only mentions that he or she was looking for information on Cobra perfume. I’m guessing the snake in the video actually does inject a hemotoxin. If you click on “show more,” you can read the complete comment, which mentions that it’s a Russell’s Viper. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/8 "2012-07-21T05:38:44Z")
Viper schniper, what do I know from snakes? It is why I posed my question. But thank you for the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/9 "2012-07-21T05:40:09Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Damn nature, you scary! Truth. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/10 "2012-07-23T17:20:14Z")
Brutal! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/11 "2012-07-23T18:00:35Z")
Why does he flick the hypo before squirting a drop into the cup? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/12 "2012-07-23T18:13:45Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Why does he flick the hypo before squirting a drop into the cup? It’s a way to get all of the air bubbles out of the syringe. Flicking it a few times gets all of the air bubbles to condense into one big air bubble at the top of the syringe. You then push on the plunger to get the air out of the syringe. When liquid starts coming out of the needle, all of the air inside is gone. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/13 "2012-07-23T18:48:14Z")
A pot for every snake and a snake in every pot. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/14 "2012-07-23T19:00:50Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It’s a way to get all of the air bubbles out of the syringe. Flicking it a few times gets all of the air bubbles to condense into one big air bubble at the top of the syringe. You then push on the plunger to get the air out of the syringe. When liquid starts coming out of the needle, all of the air inside is gone. I think what Patty was trying to say is…Because we’re worried about what? It’s not they’re going to inject an air bubble into someone’s blood stream. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/15 "2012-07-23T19:10:00Z")
I figure it’s habit. Yes, he doesn’t need to be concerned about the cup of blood developing, what , an embolism (I think that’s what air in the bloodstream can cause), but there’s no guarantee that he’ll never be injecting a person or an animal where it will matter so it’s a good idea to always do it the right way and not worry about muscle memory messing you up. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/16 "2012-07-23T19:19:56Z")
I know that you can build up a resistance to snake venom by injecting yourself with small doses, a practice called _Mithiadatism_ ( [Mithridatism - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithridatism) \_ ) Miami Serpentarium director Bill Haast (who died last year) had successfully done this, and they used his blood in transfusion to save snakebite victims. Presumably his blood didn’t clot in this fashion, after years of treatment. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/17 "2012-07-24T22:44:57Z")
There was an interesting comment by a vet. He stated that dogs bitten died, surprisingly, from hemoraghia. And I don’t understand his explanation : [QUOTE=rownolds77] No lie. I’m a vet. It does that inside dogs, too (they get bit on on the nose). It activates the clotting cascade, although because the blood is circulating and there are enzymes in the body that break the actual clot down ( A protective mechanism to prevent the blood from jelling when the clot forms inside blood vessels), the blood remains liquid. The net result is that all the clotting factors are used up, so you get a condition similar to hemophilia, and the bitten animal bleeds to death. [/QUOTE] I would understand that all enzymes breaking down clots are used up, but why would _clotting factors_ be used up? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/18 "2012-07-25T04:35:47Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > There was an interesting comment by a vet. He stated that dogs bitten died, surprisingly, from hemoraghia. And I don’t understand his explanation : > > I would understand that all enzymes breaking down clots are used up, but why would _clotting factors_ be used up? 😕 Just a guess, maybe he’s talking about disseminated intravascular coagulation. When DIC occurs in people, small clots form all over the body which uses up the available clotting factors as well as platelets. You get minor injuries resulting in uncontrolled major bleeding. It’s really nasty stuff and fatal if not treated quickly. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/19 "2012-07-25T13:33:44Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > Just a guess, maybe he’s talking about disseminated intravascular coagulation. When DIC occurs in people, small clots form all over the body which uses up the available clotting factors as well as platelets. You get minor injuries resulting in uncontrolled major bleeding. It’s really nasty stuff and fatal if not treated quickly. Yes, that’s what he’s talking about: [DIC.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disseminated_intravascular_coagulation) ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926/20 "2012-07-25T14:43:39Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I know that you can build up a resistance to snake venom by injecting yourself with small doses, a practice called _Mithiadatism_ ( [Mithridatism - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithridatism) \_ ) Miami Serpentarium director Bill Haast (who died last year) had successfully done this, and they used his blood in transfusion to save snakebite victims. Presumably his blood didn’t clot in this fashion, after years of treatment. True, however you run just as likely a chance of developing a severe allergy to the venom, rather than desensitizing your body to it. I haven’t read much about it lately but the mechanism isn’t well understood as of my last perusal through trade literature on the subject. It is NOT a recommended practice. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-venom-does-to-blood-fascinating-video/628926.md?page=2)