Reading Response 1/31/13

Reading Response 1/31/13

Henry Kiem

Article: “The Bite That Heals” National Geographic Magazine

            “The Bite that heals” is a very interesting article about huge breakthrough in antivenom medicine and the medical potential it has. The article tells many stories about victims from venomous bites. One man, who goes by the pseudonym Michael, was bitten by one of the most venomous species in South America: a bark scorpion. Often victims of a bite like that of a bark scorpion die; however, with the use of particular antivenom he was fine after a day and a half. This is a huge breakthrough because it uncovers so many medical possibilities.

            The first reason this is a big breakthrough is because it eliminates the dangerous potential behind many venomous creatures. The story about Michael doesn’t end with the antivenom relieving the pain of the scorpion sting. In fact, Michael suffers from a chronic spinal condition, which causes a lot of pain. Here is the weird thing, after the scorpion sting, the pain hasn’t come back. If the venom from the scorpion actually caused his back pain to disappear, then what other medical capabilities do certain kinds of venom have? Michael is a doctor, and even though he doesn’t want to outright state that the scorpion sting removed the back pain, he does think that it may harness certain medical abilities that we are only just uncovering.

            The second big reason that venom is an important medical breakthrough is because of how many different venoms there are and how many uses there could be for all of them. The weird thing about many toxic venoms is that they are useful for the same reasons that they are helpful.  Most venom works like an enzyme. It locks into target molecules like a key. This is the same way most modern medicine works. Obviously, there is a connection between the two. If we could harness venom to control certain molecules, we could create more cures to diseases such as cancer and other autoimmune diseases.

            After reading, it is very obvious that there are so many new possibilities with venom. We need to harness more of these venoms to use as cures to many autoimmune diseases. We need to begin to research these toxins because right now we are just on the cusp of the uses to many of these amino acid strands that can both kill us, and heal us.