SA WII Unit

[sabadgeman]

I thought this was interesting there is no on-line quote though sorry.
Army Snake Hunters

SOUTH AFRICAN SOLDIERS SNARE POISONOUS REPTILES FOR VENOM

Popular Science 5-1945

ODDEST army group among Allied forces, a South African Medical Corps
detachment catches venomous snakes and extracts their poison for
snakebite serum. Two of South Africa's deadliest reptiles are most
sought, the puff adder for its virulent blood poison and the yellow
cobra, which produces a nerve poison. Twice a month the snakes,
carefully tended on a "farm" after capture, are "milked" of their
venom by massaging the tops of their heads while the fangs are held
over the edge of a glass. The thin, clear liquid is dried and sent to
the South African Medical Institute. There selected horses are
injected with successively larger doses of the two venoms to make a
serum which is saving soldiers' lives on fronts all over the word. The
three men insist that if you are gentle, snakes are easy and safe to
handle.


Venom Patrol (Time Magazine 1943)

When Paris fell, one of the adjuncts of civilization that went with
it was the Institut Pasteur. It was a severe loss to Allied soldiers,
for the Institut was, among other things, the world's principal source
of snakebite serum. From Johannesburg now comes the story of a long,
dangerous mission undertaken by three enlisted men of the South
African Army to help make up this loss.

Members of this snake patrol, who set out to collect venom for serum-
making for the South African Institute of Medical Research, are
Corporals F. Walsey and M. J. Clemence and Private L. L. Lear. In the
past 15 months they have captured close to a thousand of Africa's
deadliest snakes.

They draw only regular army pay. Their weapons: forked sticks and
canvas bags, goggles and a snakebite outfit. The goggles are for
protection against the deadly ringhals, which not only bites but spits
venom six feet with tobacco-chewer's accuracy. Two of the men have
been hit in the eye by ringhals (bathing the eyes with milk is a sure
cure); all have been bitten at one time or another. They take lightly
the threatening antics of the puff adder, but have plenty of respect
for the swift black mamba, most dreaded of Af rican snakes, whose bite
can kill in five minutes.

Once captured, the snakes are taken to patrol headquarters at Komati
Poort, where they are forcibly fed with meat and egg flip, milked of
their venom at intervals.

A milker grasps the snake firmly behind the jaws to open them, presses
its fangs over the edge of a small measuring glass and massages its
head gently. The venom dribbles out reluctantly. The snakes don't like
it -- as many as 40 a month die from this handling -- and the snake
hunters must keep patrolling constantly for replace ments.

The South African Institute, which processes the dried venom received
from snake catchers, produces antivenin, has sent off thousands of
doses all over the world. (Puff-adder venom is also used as a
coagulant in hemophilia.) A quick injection of serum has saved the
life of many a soldier bitten by ugly horned vipers in the West
African desert, bush-masters in Central America, kraits and king
cobras on the Burma front and mambas in South Africa.

[redtanker]

that is pretty interesting....... never heard about them before thanx sabadgeman