The enigmatic world of snakes frequently captures our imagination and spurs discussions. A recent story from Uttar Pradesh where a young man survived multiple bites is causing quite a stir. This man, astonishingly, keeps returning home from the hospital after each incident. Meanwhile, there was an American, Bill Haast, who lived through 173 bites from some of the most venomous snakes, yet remained unaffected. It is said that Haast had encountered over 3 million snakes in his lifetime.
Fascination Sprung from a Childhood Snake Bite
Bill Haast, born in New Jersey in 1910, was fascinated by snakes from a young age. It all started during a scout camp when he was bitten by a snake in the wilderness. Nursing a swollen hand, Haast received medical attention hours later. Later that very year, he suffered another bite from a copperhead snake. This time, he spent a week in the hospital due to the venom. These incidents sparked a peculiar attraction towards snakes. He soon began collecting them, performing tricks with them, and eventually opened a serpentarium in Miami.
Extracted Venom in His Lab
Haast eventually ran a lab that extracted snake venom to aid research for hospitals and universities. This lab housed snakes of every species, each with its own unique type of venom, some so lethal that death could occur within less than a minute after a bite. By the nineties, Haast's lab was annually providing 36,000 samples of venom for medical purposes.
Source: aajtak
Removed Venom with Bare Hands
The stories of Haast being bitten hundreds of times while extracting venom are fascinating. The New York Times reported that he did not use gloves or tools to handle the snakes. Instead, he would directly open their jaws so that their venom would drop into a tube surrounded by a rubber membrane. His rationale was that using tools could injure the snakes. This directly contributed to his frequent bites.
It's not that the venom had no effect on him. There were nearly two dozen occasions when Haast was severely afflicted, suffering from stomach issues, vision impairment, sleep disorders, and even mental disorientation, but he repeatedly recovered and returned to his work.
Also Worked as a Flight Engineer
Despite suggestions to try different professions, Haast attempted various jobs and even completed professional courses. He was a certified flight engineer who also worked with the American army. Nevertheless, his dream of running a snake farm always brought him back.
A Child's Death Alters Haast's Life
The serpentine's close in Miami was surrounded by alligator enclosures to prevent accidents, yet, an incident occurred that led to a child's terrible death. Deeply disturbed, Haast not only killed the offending alligator but also closed down the serpentarium. Subsequently, he only worked for his lab.
Source: aajtak
His Blood Became an Antivenom
Haast survived repeated bites from deadly snakes like cobras, vipers, and rattlers due to a unique reason. For six decades, he ingested a concoction made from the venom of 32 different snakes. Although doctors warned this could lead to a horrific death, the opposite happened. Haast lived to be over a century old. There were instances when after being bitten by a snake, it was not Haast but the snake that perished.
Gave Blood to Snakebite Victims
His blood practically became an antidote—an emergency treatment for snake venom. Accordingly, Haast was summoned across the globe for emergency blood donations. He donated blood to 21 patients on the brink of death from venomous snake bites. Venezuela honored him with their highest civilian award, as Haast had once trekked through dense jungles just to donate blood to a child.
Haast's passion for snakes was so intense that it ended his first marriage. However, he later remarried twice.
