Case report: Amputation for a puff adder (Bitis arietans) envenomation in a child - 1954

Abstract

Diaries spanning three decades (1943-1964) have been discovered that tell the story of the life of missionary nurses, doctors and surgeons working at the Lui and Leer Hospitals in South Sudan (then known as Southern Sudan). The medical facility at Leer during this period covered a 300 miles radius serving approximately 60,000 of the Nilotic Western Nuer tribe [1]. It was among these records that the following case description was found. The puff adder (Bitis arietans) is one of the commonest African snakes, causing more bites in animals and humans than all other species of snake put together in sub-Saharan regions. It commonly inhabits the banks of the Nile