Snakebite (cont.)

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Medical Author:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Snakebite Pictures

Spitting cobra bite. Many elapid bites result in little local swelling, but the spitting cobras are known for the amount of swelling and tissue damage they can cause. Photograph by Clyde Peeling.

Media type: Photo

Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) bite. Rattlesnake bites can cause severe swelling, pain, and permanent tissue damage. Photograph by Clyde Peeling.

Media type: Photo

Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) bite. These bites usually result in local pain and swelling but usually have less tissue loss than rattlesnake bites. Photograph by Tom Diaz.

Media type: Photo

Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) bite. Pit viper bites can cause a leakage of blood cells out of the blood vessels, even on parts of the body away from the bite site. Note the significant bruising of the upper forearm and arm. Photograph by Clyde Peeling.