Get bitten by a rattlesnake and your problems won’t stop at the excruciating pain and grotesque swelling. After a few hours you’ll be black and blue from all the broken blood vessels—and if the venom-induced hemorrhaging spreads to your brain, you could have a stroke. Luckily there’s a cure: antivenom made by scientists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s Institute of Biotechnology, with an assist from some very special horses.
Here's How You Milk Snakes to Make Antivenom
Get bitten by a rattlesnake and your problems won’t stop at the excruciating pain and grotesque swelling. After a few hours you’ll be black and blue from all the broken blood vessels—and if the venom-induced hemorrhaging spreads to your brain, you could have a stroke. Luckily there’s a cure: antivenom made by scientists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s Institute of Biotechnology, with an assist from some very special horses.
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Jorge Dávalos
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1 | Milk Venom Any good antivenom starts with its opposite. Herpetologists do the milking, forcing the snake to bite down on the lip of a jar so that venom drips from its fangs. Manufacturers buy individual snake venoms from suppliers and mix them together to create a supervenom.
