Guwahati: Snakebite researcher Surajit Giri on Friday expressed his ecstasy revealing that 2,300 scientists across the world have read Assam’s groundbreaking research on how severed heads of venomous snakes can still bite and inject deadly venom.
The disclosure came after leading American daily The State highlighted the study in a detailed report on August 21, projecting Assam’s findings on the global stage.
The research paper, published in the international medical journal Frontiers in Tropical Diseases on August 18, was co-authored by Susmita Thakur, Gaugav Choudhary, Hemen Nath, Robin Doley and led by Giri.
The study presented three documented cases from Sivasagar and Kamrup districts of Assam, where people were envenomed by dead monocled cobras (locally called feti).
In the first case, a 45-year-old man in Sivasagar decapitated a cobra in his chicken coop to protect his poultry.
When he attempted to move the severed head, the snake’s fangs pierced his finger, injecting venom that caused severe pain, vomiting, and blackening of the skin.
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He was rushed to hospital and saved by immediate administration of antivenom.
The second case involved a farmer in Sivasagar who unknowingly crushed a cobra under his tractor. Hours later, while inspecting the body, the snake’s head bit his foot, causing rapid envenoming. He was hospitalized for 25 days but recovered after multiple doses of antivenom.
The third case was recorded in Kamrup district, where villagers killed a black cobra and threw it into the backyard.
Later, a neighbour picked up the corpse out of curiosity and was bitten on the finger.
Initially ignored, the bite led to drooping eyelids, difficulty in swallowing and eventually quadriplegia.
After faith-healing attempts failed, he was admitted to hospital, placed on respiratory support, and finally recovered with antivenom treatment.
According to the research, front-fanged snakes like cobras can still deliver fatal bites after death due to the structural design of their venom glands and fangs.
When the venom sac is pressed intentionally or accidentally the fang can release venom in a reflex action. Unlike live snakes, dead snakes cannot control venom discharge, making such bites more potent.
“This research is the first documented scientific evidence worldwide showing how dead monocled cobras in Assam caused life-threatening envenomation but with all victims surviving through timely intervention,” said Giri.
The publication has been widely read by scientists in Asia Europe, and the United States, with over 2,300 scholars and medical professionals engaging with the study in just four days.
The research has also drawn praise for its potential to train rural health workers and raise global awareness about the dangers of handling dead snakes.
“This is not only a scientific achievement, but also a message that rural communities and local doctors of Assam are contributing meaningfully to global medical knowledge,” Giri concluded