What Did You Find At The LocalMarket?

[welshfellow]

Hi B&B Members
I picked this up at a local market
here in Western Australia this kits a long way from home
cost me $5 Au
Does any one know the brand or has seen one before?

looks old.

 

[Raissermesser]

Haven't seen one in years. As the ad on the back shows, Cutter is/was a brand of insect repellent. That's something else I haven't seen in years, right up there with the long gone 6-12 insect repellent.

Anyway, I've carried a few. We were big on snake bite kits due to the distance from a hospital and we knew a girl who had an amputation from a rattlesnake bite. The rubber on the kit here gets hard over time and becomes useless. No, I haven't used one for a snake bite, but they are also handy for immediate application after stings (just don't use the constrictor and don't cut the site). We favored another brand, which was more bulky but had a more reliable and effective suction device.

There's one on the market today that uses a suction device more effective than the Cutter kit, but it's designed to let air in so that the suction is more gentle. I don't like it as much, but it will pull the venom out of a wasp sting.

 

[welshfellow]

thanks mate maybe they sold the brand here to or someone brought it with them from the USA?
the stall owner said he got it from another market sell (no help there)
Can you give me an approximate age?
I was thinking how long have we had barcodes

 

[Mick]

Had one of these cutters for decades

Always in my backpack.

 

[Bhugo]

My dad had one of those when I was a kid. Very cool. Not much need for one in Michigan, but I always thought it was neat. Thanks for posting a picture.

 

[Ad Astra]

Oh, yeah. Those were everywhere!

Didn't the medical treatment philosophy change, though? You're not supposed to cut the victim now, etc.

(insert classic snakebite joke here) "Doctor said you're gonna die!," says the friend.

Y'all have more/worse snakes down there than we do.


AA

 

[simon1]

I've had several Cutter products over the years. I have a snakebite kit in the truck but don't remember what brand it is.

There are mixed medical reviews on them. Some say don't use them at all and others say don't use the scalpel to cut yourself, just use the suction thingies to get as much of the venom out as you can. They all say to get immediate medical attention, but sometimes you may be a long way from any type of help.

From the looks of the package it may be from the 1960s or 1970s, but that's just a guess.

Edit: Found this, looks like Cutter applied for the patent in 1970 and it was granted in 1972.

US3683922A - Snake-bite kit with suction cup having variable degrees of suction - Google Patents

Also found this:

Cutter Hi-Lo Suction Snakebite Kit

 

[Raissermesser]

thanks mate maybe they sold the brand here to or someone brought it with them from the USA?
the stall owner said he got it from another market sell (no help there)
Can you give me an approximate age?
I was thinking how long have we had barcodes

They came out in the 1970s, as simon1 notes. I remember them more from the late 1970s, but prior to that we carried a larger type with a plunger suction device. I remember that particular cutter kit existing into the 1980s. It was more convenient to carry than the older type, but the suction was less. And, as noted, the rubber hardens over time.

Found the kit we used to carry: It was the Johnson & Johnson Snake Bite kit. That suction plunger seemed stronger than the one in most modern kits, but I don't have one for comparison, and the plastic might get brittle over time.

 

[Raissermesser]

Oh, yeah. Those were everywhere!

Didn't the medical treatment philosophy change, though? You're not supposed to cut the victim now, etc.

(insert classic snakebite joke here) "Doctor said you're gonna die!," says the friend.

Y'all have more/worse snakes down there than we do.


AA

The philosophy for snake bite first aid seems to change as much as that for CPR. When the "Do not cut" came out, IIRC, it was due to the risk of cutting too deeply, cutting the wrong thing, and maybe infection. There was an antiseptic swab that came with the things, both the Johnson & Johnson and the Cutter. Another problem was using the constrictor like a tourniquet. It was supposed to be tight enough to hopefully slow the flow of venom, not to cut off circulation. IIRC, you were instructed to be able to slip a finger under it, but won't swear by that memory.

On US vs Australian snakes, I grew up where there were several varieties of rattlesnake, along with cottonmouth moccasin, copperheads, and coral snakes. Coral snakes are small and can be underestimated, maybe because they lack fangs like most venomous snakes. That said, had a relative nearly die from one of the things, and he had almost immediate treatment. And there was the aforementioned girl who had a limb amputated after a rattlesnake bite.

 

[simon1]

On US vs Australian snakes, I grew up where there were several varieties of rattlesnake, along with cottonmouth moccasin, copperheads, and coral snakes. Coral snakes are small and can be underestimated, maybe because they lack fangs like most venomous snakes. That said, had a relative nearly die from one of the things, and he had almost immediate treatment. And there was the aforementioned girl who had a limb amputated after a rattlesnake bite.

That's pretty much what we have around here...copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths. The cottonmouths are the most prevalent, maybe because my pond is about 30 yards away and there are two ranch ponds just across the fence from us. I've only seen one copperhead, but that sucker was about 3 feet long. It just slithered off into the pasture after I had disturbed it when I was picking up brush. I've not seen a coral snake. Like they say...red on black, friend of Jacks. Red on yeller kill a feller.

 

[welshfellow]

Thanks for all the info guys sounds
Like I’ve found a bit of history for 5 bucks
We got plenty of snakes here to as you know
But those rattle snakes
Now that’s a big step up on the scary scale
You much freeze when you out walking in the bush and you hear that sound
I’ve only heard it on the tv
It sends shivers up your spine

 

[simon1]

Thanks for all the info guys sounds
Like I’ve found a bit of history for 5 bucks
We got plenty of snakes here to as you know
But those rattle snakes
Now that’s a big step up on the scary scale
You much freeze when you out walking in the bush and you hear that sound
I’ve only heard it on the tv
It sends shivers up your spine

Yeah, but cottonmouths are scarier...they are silent. My Uncle in Uvalde, Texas (God rest his soul) found a small rattler bailed up in a bale of hay one time...still alive. When we'd go out in his pasture...mostly rocks and mesquite trees...to look for Indian arrowheads...he'd tell me to make sure I looked under the brush before putting my hand under there.

Here's the snakebite kit I keep in the backpack in the truck with a bunch of other stuff in it like a hatchet, folding saw, skinning knife, fishing line and hooks, etc. Looks like a Coghlan's brand. Haven't looked at it in years. The rubber is still pliable, so looks like it's still good.

US$5.31 at the online Wallyworld, but you have shipping on top of that. Don't know how much they are in the store now.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coghlan-...MIqI3N5_Wt4wIVTv7jBx0FiwsCEAQYASABEgLTSvD_BwE

 

[welshfellow]

Yeah, but cottonmouths are scarier...they are silent. My Uncle in Uvalde, Texas (God rest his soul) found a small rattler bailed up in a bale of hay one time...still alive. When we'd go out in his pasture...mostly rocks and mesquite trees...to look for Indian arrowheads...he'd tell me to make sure I looked under the brush before putting my hand under there.

Here's the snakebite kit I keep in the backpack in the truck with a bunch of other stuff in it like a hatchet, folding saw, skinning knife, fishing line and hooks, etc. Looks like a Coghlan's brand. Haven't looked at it in years. The rubber is still pliable, so looks like it's still good.

US$5.31 at the online Wallyworld, but you have shipping on top of that. Don't know how much they are in the store now.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coghlan-...MIqI3N5_Wt4wIVTv7jBx0FiwsCEAQYASABEgLTSvD_BwE


View attachment 998391

Common Name Tiger Snake
Scientific NameNotechis scutatus
Family Front Fanged Venomous
Average Length80cm
Reproduction Live bearing
Number of Offspring23
Venom Extremely venomous
Distribution Victoria, Queensland, South Aust, NSW & ACT, Western Aust

Common Name Dugite
Scientific Name Pseudonaja affinis
Family Front Fanged Venomous
Average Length109cm
Reproduction Egg laying
Number of Offspring15
Venom Extremely venomous
Distribution South Aust, Western Aust

These are the common ones near here
the tiger snake it is extremely dangerous and hard to see in grass
if approached are very aggresive
also there is the dugite seen in summer like to in old car hollow logs
most bites are coursed by steping on them

 

[Raissermesser]

You can sometimes get a whiff of rattlesnakes and moccasins. It's not reliable, but it'll give you pause to wade through waist high grass and weeds and suddenly get a strong whiff of a rattler. Story goes that you can't hear a rattlesnake right after it sheds. Don't know if that's true or not.

Usually, cottonmouths are more aggressive than rattlesnakes, though you will find rattlesnakes that haven't heard that. Have had cottonmouths turn and fight. Cottonmouths have been known to drop into boats passing under branches.

Copperheads... don't know. Have seen them and killed them, but haven't noticed a smell. Don't know how aggressive they are.

Some claim coral snakes will only bite if handled. Not true. The relative who got bit happened to pick up something and got nailed. It may not have had long to chew, but it was enough to nearly do him in.

Our biggest venomous snake is the Eastern Diamondback. Distance between center line and edge of pavement lined on our highways range from ten to twelve feet (call it three meters), and that makes a handy reference when you see one crawling across the road. Have seen them stretched from center line to edge of pavement line. I may have seen one longer - can't verify that.

 

[welshfellow]

Wow that diamondback is a big snake just looked at some pics
I think Australia's biggest venomous snake is the King Brown or Mulga Snake
Its says they can reach up to 9.8 feet! I read this on an Australian zoo website
but i have never seen one myself
the tiger snake is the one you see the most in western Australia
Here's a pic of the king brown/Mulga snake
Paul