![]() Of the world's 3,232 species of snakes, around 500 are venomous. Īlthough snakes are considered as sacred beings in some cultures, most people view them as the most abominable living creatures, a view that promotes unnecessary killing and puts sensitive food chains at risk. The serpent is the beginning and the end, water and fire, movement, life and death. In Central America, as well as several other parts of the world, snakes play an important role in religious thought and in the day-to-day life of people, representing life cycles depending on the attributes and contexts in which they are found. For example, to the Tsotsil Mayans from the municipality of Zinacantán, state of Chiapas, snakes are the earth lord's daughters. For the Mayans, the snake had a religious significance as a sacred animal force, bound to various divine figures, representing the union of opposing forces in nature. In Mexico, the Aztecs made extensive use of the ophidiofauna: several species were consumed, offered to the gods and used as medicines. Even in regions where snakes were not objects of worship, they were used as symbols, amulets and religious elements. Attributes such as wisdom, cunning, power, fertility, sexuality and renewal of life have been (and, to an extent, still are) attributed to them by different people in India, Egypt, ancient Europe, ancient Persia, Mexico and much of Africa. In ancient times, many people worshiped snakes to try to appease them in order to avoid the evil they could cause. Images (cultural representations), myths and beliefs regarding these reptiles are present in many societies due to their culturally salient biological and behavioral characteristics, such as their speed and agility, the bifid tongue, unblinking lidless eyes, their ability to periodically renew their skin, their mode of mating, and the ability to produce and inject a deadly substance. Snakes are among the animals that have most influenced the human psyche since ancient times. It is understood that the ethnozoological knowledge, customs and popular practices of the Pedra Branca inhabitants result in a valuable cultural resource which should be considered in every discussion regarding public health, sanitation and practices of traditional medicine, as well as in faunistic studies and conservation strategies for local biological diversity. Nowadays, people do not pay attention to these things because, basically, the antivenom is now easily obtained at regional hospitals. Until the antivenom was present and available, the locals used only charms, prayers and homemade remedies to treat or protect themselves and others from snake bites. In general, local people have strong negative behavior towards snakes, killing them whenever possible. Four of them are Viperidae, which were considered the most dangerous to humans, besides causing more aversion and fear in the population. A total of 23 types of 'snakes' were recorded, based on their local names. The results show that the local terms biting, stinging and pricking are synonymous and used as equivalent to offending. The data was recorded from September to November 2006 by means of open-ended interviews performed with 74 individuals of both genders, whose ages ranged from 4 to 89 years old. (2018, October 8).This paper records the meaning of the term 'offense' and the folk knowledge related to local beliefs and practices of folk medicine that prevent and treat snake bites, as well as the implications for the conservation of snakes in the county of Pedra Branca, Bahia State, Brazil. ![]() Journal of Medical Toxicology, 12(4), 365–369 Occupational snake bites: A prospective case series of patients reported to the Toxic North American Snakebite Registry. B., Ruha, A.-M., Seifert, S., Onisko, N., Padilla-Jones, A., & Smith, E. North American Crotalus (rattlesnake venoms).Venomous snake bites: Clinical diagnosis and treatment. ![]() Hifumi, T., Sakai, A., Kondo, Y., Yamamoto, A., Morine, N., Ato, M., … Kuroda, Y.Frequently asked questions about venomous snakes.Copperhead ( Agkistrodon contortrix) - venomous. ![]() Incidence and mortality due to snakebite in the Americas. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. We link primary sources - including studies, scientific references, and statistics - within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |