Every year, thousands lose their lives to snakebites worldwide. Even with antivenom available, delays in treatment or absence of the right antidote often prove fatal. To tackle this challenge, American researcher Tim Friede has made his own body a living laboratory.
Tim Friede has subjected himself to bites from several deadly snakes, including cobras, black mambas, and Russell’s vipers. On many occasions, the bites triggered dangerous reactions, from intense pain and loss of consciousness to episodes that were nearly fatal.
Still, he has pursued his experiments with a single purpose — to develop stronger antivenoms that can prevent snake venom from claiming human lives.
Doctors and experts describe his actions as highly dangerous and reckless. They stress that no one should ever attempt such experiments, since each snakebite carries the possibility of being fatal.
However, Tim Friede’s unusual initiative has sparked widespread debate in international research circles.
Tim Friede set out to build what he calls a “super immunity” in the human body, one strong enough to withstand snake venom. To pursue this aim, he has allowed himself to be bitten by snakes more than 200 times over the past few years. He claims that through this extreme experiment, his body has slowly developed a resistance that shields him from the otherwise lethal effects of venom.
He now asserts that the immunity his body has developed could pave the way for new possibilities in protecting people from snakebites in the future.
While scientists acknowledge that his personal experiments may offer insights for antivenom research, they emphasize that broader, systematic studies are required to validate his claims.
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Author: News18
