Hiisssssssssss....goes the SNAKE

Yes I know what you must be thinking...'why is she talking about snakes of all things??' Well simply because I was thinking of a few 'snake' related moments recently and thought of writing on it.

Snakes are one of the most feared and unfortunately one of the commonly encountered species.My land Kerala has its own generous supply of it.They are even worshipped and thus the numerous sarpakavu in the state.Also don't forget the image of the snake charmer from India which is depicted in every foreign movie on India.

There are many who have had their own experiences with the hissing monster.My own grandmother is so scared to even take its name that she calls it mettavan (the other one).My first experiences with the slithering reptile was in medical college during my undergrad days.The number of snakes sighted in our hostel were not too few.I remember the day of our Forensic practical exam.The examiner asked us various questions on snakes and how to identify the various poisonous types etc.After returning back to hostel in the evening we heard someone scream snake and instead of fleeing from the scene we went ahead to identify the type of snake.Sounds crazy?Definitely!

Then during my internship I had several experiences with snake,well their victims to be exact.The people brought following a snake bite were umpteen and all had a different story to tell.Not all of them were serious bites.And even more interesting were the times when the responsible snakes were brought to the casualty to be identified.Once they brought a snake in a plastic bag and yours truly happened to be on duty.When they asked me to look at the snake in the bag,I agreed reluctantly.Gathering courage, I asked them to open the flimsy plastic bag in their hands.When they opened it there was a rustle of the plastic and some movement within and I leapt and went back a few feet.The man burst out laughing seeing the duty doctor terrified and explained that it was his hand beneath the bag that caused the movement.Oh boy!How embarassing.Hehe.

This one I heard from a fellow intern.Along came a snake in a tin this time and the people who brought it were not sure it was dead.Everyone crowded around the tin and were bending over to see the controversial attacker.As soon as the lid came off,BOOM! Off went the lights too.Yes Kerala is also known for its power cuts.Scuttling feet and little screams of terror were heard.However when the generator came on,everyone was relieved to find the snake curled around in the tin with its evil head smashed and motionless.

One late night during my duty,3 young chaps came and one of them had a cloth tied around his leg.Snake bite again.On explaining to them that since the snake was unidentified we had to keep the patient under observation for a day as a precaution in case things went wrong,the 2 bystanders burst out laughing and the victim grinned sheepishly.Never before had I noticed such a behaviour after a possible dangerous snake bite. On enquiring the reason for their peculiar reaction they told me that it was the victims wedding the next morning.Poor fella.I couldn't help grinning too.Well in case you're wondering,they left early next morning against medical advice.Since he did not reappear, I assume the bride did not lose her groom to a snake.

Enough of snakes for a day?I sure had enough.So till the next time,ciao and hissssssssssssssss.................