Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1912 — Boy Bitten by Rattlesnake. [ARTICLE]

Boy Bitten by Rattlesnake.

Howard Speaks of Rensselaer, aged about 14 yhars, was bitten on the middle finger of his left hand while weeding onions at Ed Oliver’s at Newland yesterday morning, and at this writing is in a very bad condition. The boy was hurried to town in an automobile after having been given about a pint of whiskey, and taken to Dr. Gwin’s office where the wounds were opened and antidotes applied. The hand was swollen badly, however, and the blood was black and congealed. The doctor later cut open the hand con-; siderably in the hope of saving the boy’ls life and getting the blood to circulating. Yesterday afternoon the boy was reported to be holding his own and Dr. Gwin thought be would recover In spite of the whiskey administered. The old superstltution that whiskey would kill a snakebite has been exploded by modern doctors and it is now said to be very harmful rather than beneficial. This will be a hard blow to those men living in dry counties who had convinced their wives that it was necessary to have a little of the “antidote” in the house in case of snakebites.