For two decades now, Friede has withstood snakebites and injections and still has a refrigerator full of venom. According to experts, when the immune system is exposed to the toxins in snake venom, it develops antibodies that can neutralise the poison.
A man from the United States, who goes by the name Tim Friede, has been bitten by snakes hundreds of times, often on purpose. Scientists are now studying his blood in hopes of creating a better treatment for snake bites. Friede has long been fascinated with reptiles and other venomous creatures, as he used to milk scorpions’ and spiders’ venom as a hobby and kept dozens of snakes at his Wisconsin home.
He started to give himself small doses of snake venom and then slowly increased the amount to try to build up tolerance. He would then let snakes bite him. This, he says, was done out of “simple curiosity”.
“At first, it was very scary,” Friede said. “But the more you do it, the better you get at it, and the more calm you become with it.”
According to experts, when the immune system is exposed to the toxins in snake venom, it develops antibodies that can neutralise the poison. If the amount of venom is less, the body can react before it’s overwhelmed. And if it’s venom the body has seen before, it can react more quickly and handle larger exposures.
For two decades now, Friede has withstood snakebites and injections and still has a refrigerator full of venom. In videos posted by him on YouTube, he shows off swollen fang marks on his arms from black mamba, taipan and water cobra bites.
“I wanted to push the limits as close to death as possible, to where I’m just basically teetering right there and then back off of it,” he said.
Importantly, Friede emailed every scientist he could find, asking them to study the tolerance he’d built up.
Notably, the study being done on Friede’s tolerance is significant for the fact that around 110,000 people die from snakebite every year, according to the World Health Organisation. And making antivenom is expensive and difficult.
Friede is now employed by Centivax, a company trying to develop the treatment and which helped pay for the study.
He’s excited that his 18-year odyssey could one day save lives from snakebite, but his message to those inspired to follow in his footsteps is simple: “Don’t do it,” he said.
(With inputs from AP)