There is no legitimate medical study that confirms it. And the anecdotal evidence is easily brushed aside. It works every time on people with dry bites.
You cannot post a single peer reviewed study from any medical journal that says it is effective. And if someone is envenomated, it will only be a detriment.
I know that story went around hard in the 80s. But it is 100% wrong. Just like they used to be able to “prove” pellagra was caused by a germ. And they were sure peptic ulcers were caused by stress. Both were exactly the opposite.
“Common sense” and true science do not often mix well.
“There is no legitimate medical study that confirms it. And the anecdotal evidence is easily brushed aside. It works every time on people with dry bites. You cannot post a single peer reviewed study from any medical journal that says it is effective.”
In an ideal world we could rely on unbiased, peer reviewed, scientific research for such things. However, this does not always exist. It is just as possible that some people benefitted from the shock as it is possible that they were cases that were not that serous to begin with. But you could probably say the same for a lot of peer reviewed medical procedures, such as extreme measures treating cancer. It is not always possible to do completely controlled experiments. There are endless reasons for this, which researchers attempt to compensate for, but often it is impossible to eliminate.
Just like they used to be able to “prove” pellagra was caused by a germ. And they were sure peptic ulcers were caused by stress.
Likewise with scurvy. And with the ulcers you do have correlation, just not causation. Apparently ulcers may cause stress. Who could have guessed?
“’Common sense’ and true science do not often mix well.”
Surprisingly, many scientific realities do defy common sense. However, misinterpreting science can be more dangerous than relying on common sense. Dr. D. W. Bliss’s attempts to save President Garfield comes to mind.