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Kenneth V. Iserson, MD, MBA, FACEP
University of Arizona College of Medicine Southern Arizona Rescue Association Tucson

JAMA. 1988;260(10):1405.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

Snakebites are a common fear among the lay population. This is especially true in the desert environment of southern Arizona, where there are 11 different species of rattlesnake.¹ Between 1985 and 1987, more than 380 individuals in this region have been seen at medical facilities with crotalid bites— all by rattlesnakes.² Eight of nine fatalities from snakebite in Arizona between 1969 and 1984 occurred in this area.³

It has been suggested that patients with unfavorable interactions with snakes (bites) frequently contribute to the situation, usually by overtly disturbing these timid creatures.^4,5 Those bitten by crotalids are most often purposely handling the snakes, mentally incompetent to judge the danger of the situation—usually due to drugs or a young age—or inappropriately protected by clothing from the environment.^3,6

For the past 30 years, volunteers of the Southern Arizona Rescue Association have been traversing, on foot, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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