An alarming sight greeted patients and doctors at a hospital in Bihar Tuesday when a man walked in with a large snake draped around his neck. It turned out that the man – identified as one Prakash Mandal – had been bitten by the snake and wanted to show it to the doctors so he could receive the correct treatment.
Here’s what happened
According to a report in The Hindu, Mandal had suffered a bite from a Russell’s Viper, one of the world’s most venomous snakes, in Bihar's Bhagalpur on October 15. The 48-year-old daily wage earner was sleeping at home when the viper attacked.
Alarmed and worried about receiving incorrect treatment, he caught hold of the snake and took it to the hospital so doctors could identify the species and treat him accordingly. Bitten on his right arm, he also kept the arm wrapped tightly to prevent the poison from spreading.
Footage from the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital shows bystanders reacting in shock at the sight of a man walking with a snake around his neck. Some people were filmed asking him to stay away. The video, widely circulated on social media, shows one man escorting Mandal away by holding his arm.
Mandal, however, refused to let go of the snake even while lying on the stretcher. He finally relinquished it only when doctors told him it would be difficult to treat him if he kept the reptile clutched in his hand.
{{/usCountry}}Mandal, however, refused to let go of the snake even while lying on the stretcher. He finally relinquished it only when doctors told him it would be difficult to treat him if he kept the reptile clutched in his hand.
{{/usCountry}}Mandal’s family had accompanied him to the hospital and kept the snake in a sack until he received treatment. The snake was later handed over to the forest department.
The Russell’s Viper is part of the “Big 4” group of snakes responsible for the most snakebites in India. The other three snakes in this group include the Indian cobra, the common krait and the saw-scaled viper.