First case of snake bite on the head in India
Journal: Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
Year : 2005, Volume : 6, Issue : 1
Title of paper: Unusual site of snakebite: A case report
Authors: Gupta B. D.*, Professor & Head, Singh O. Gambhir, Tutor
Dept of Forensic Medicine, MP Shah Medical College, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India
*Corresponding author; [email protected]
Snakebite is one of the common causes of death in rural and suburban areas of tropical countries such as India. The incidence of snakebite rises substantially in the monsoon season. Conventional Indian textbooks do not discuss the common bite sites in great detail nor is it much mentioned in the West, where it is not a common problem.
Since many case of snakebite occur outdoors among farmers, it is understandable that a person while working in a field is more likely to get bitten on exposed or peripheral parts of the body. Almost all the cases of snakebite occurred on the limbs. In the present case, it was a mystery as to how the snake could bitten the victim at the back of the head.
The mystery was solved when further examination showed that the victim was in the act of entering his hut when he was bitten. The hut was of a “kuchha” type (i.e., not made of cement or concrete), and had a big crater just above the door. It is likely that while entering his hut, the farmer may have disturbed the snake nestled in the crater, which then bit him on the head.
Bites over such sites could be missed easily while conducting postmortem examination. This paper highlights the importance of searching for fang marks from head to toe in alleged cases of snakebite. Hairy areas such as over the scalp should be shaved off and cleaned. The possibility of bite marks being present in unusual sites must always borne in mind.
This case is being reported here for two reasons;
1) The site of the bite is very unusual, and to our knowledge probably the first reported case in India.
2) Though the fang marks were two in number, they were so small and difficult to locate amidst thick scalp hair that they fit the description of concealed puncture wounds.
Online ISSN : 0972-8074. CD ISSN : 0972-8066. Published online : 2005 January 1.
Copyright : © 2004, The Authors, and Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology. All Rights Reserved.
