This is Throwback Thursday #155. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc ...), please sent them to [email protected]. Thanks!
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Karl Patterson Schmidt
Ran across the interesting story of Karl Patterson Schmidt recently. Schmidt was a world renowned herpetologist and curator at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. He worked at the Field Museum from 1922 to 1957. Starting as an assistant curator of reptiles and amphibians, he became chief curator of zoology in 1941. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1956. There are many books and articles written by and about him on the internet, including "Crocodile Hunting in Central America". For more see the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
Boomslang from Africa
Karl's death due to a snake bite is legendary. It was sensationalized in many papers around the world. The snake was a boomslang from central Africa, which has a extremely dangerous, often deatly bite. Actually, even a small scratch can lead to serious complications. After being bitten, Schmidt knew there was no available antivenom and his death was almost certain. So, he took detailed notes to document the progress of the toxin as he slowly succumbed. The newspapers referred to his notes as his "death diary".
Here is a summary from the Field Museum's website.
On September 25, 1957, the director of the Lincoln Park Zoo sent a snake to The Field Museum for identification. Schmidt concluded that based on the snake's behavior, it was a boomslang, native to Sub Saharan Africa. After taking the snake from a colleague without precautions to prevent a bite, Schmidt was bitten on the thumb. The venom of the boomslang is a hemotoxin, which means that it disrupts blood coagulation in humans; essentially, as the venom spreads it causes fibrinogen in the bloodstream to form clots. The fibrinogen is then not available to stop bleeding. This leads to bleeding in major internal organs and possibly death. Schmidt did not seek medical attention, but kept a journal of the symptoms he experienced, recording all of the effects of the bite in graphic detail. Within 24 hours, Schmidt was pronounced dead. A transcript of his journal was published by the Chicago Tribune in an article titled "Diary of Snakebite Death!" on October 3rd, 1957.
NPR's Science Friday had a report back in October 2015.
