Antivenom from the past

[Bushviper]

I was recently given a mint condition antivenom kit.



This was made by Fitsimons snake park it seems. Exactly where remains a mystery because there was no laboratory at that address.



It has all you needed at the time. Tourniquet, antivenom, needles, syringe etc.

This is what the antivenom covered


Just one small problem it seems to have expired a while ago.

[Mitton]

A friend of mine gave me these a while ago, with blades. I will try and make a copy of the paper that came with.

*uploaded from my iPad so the pics are a bit cut off, you can see the full image in the Gallery.

[Savu]

Brilliant post guys. One can clearly see why they say it goes cloudy when it expires. I am surprised it covers berg adder. I always thought polyvalent doesn't cover that??

[Ales]

I found this box in my grandfathers house. Unfortunately it does not contain any antivenom and is missing a few things.

It does have a tourniquet, which is pretty much just a small belt, a syringe, blade, cotton wool and an instruction guide on the steps, applying the tournaquet, incisions, serum treatment, suction, sterilization and some other info.

[Bushviper]

Yeah some real grandaddy stuff out there. Now we know where all the cut and suck advice came from as well as the tie a tourniquet advice for all snakes originates.

I guess they never lost a patient to Night adder and Berg adders bites, so it had to be effective. Besides that one case we have not lost any since they stopped producing this antivenom.

I wish we could test the antivenom and see how effective it is but that will destroy the collectors value of the kit. If anybody has an incomplete kit and would be prepared to donate a vial of antivenom for science please let us know.

[Bernice]

Hi Ales! i have a similar box that some one was going to throw out and offered to me... my tin is a bit beat up and dented, but it has the original cardboard box the tin came in, but is missing the serum and instructions, and someone added a few extra old razor blades to the kit...

[Chopper 1]

We used to carry the red one in the Kruger where i grew up - still remember it but i think it only has 2 ampules in?

[iiviii]

Finally got my kit today after quite a bit of searching. Complete kit, includes two ampules, two needles, one syringe, two booklets and a huge ball of cotton. Ampules have their original seals on the plastic cases. Expired in 1970. Probably will not be safe to use. Booklet still refers to "sucking out the venom".

Cant get the images to upload, unless anyone can help maybe?