Mock Venom Extraction Study

As a follow-on to yesterday's day hike Rattlesnake encounter: Had some discussion with friends today about the worth of those pocket Snake Bite kits sold by COGHLAN'S and other outdoor gear companies. Lots of opinions out there.

One friend, a former Medical student, sent me a link to the following article:

CLICK HERE >>>PubMed: "Suction for venomous snakebite: a study of "mock venom" extraction in a human model", 

The article describes a scientific test to determine how much venom one might be able to extract.

In the testing, a SAWYER'S extractor was used. It's an easy read and may shed some light on these devices which, may have more psychological value to a patient than actual medical value. At the same time, it is not accurate to say the device does not work. Anyway, you can read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.