Medicine: Sharper than a Serpent

A human bite is sometimes sharper than a serpent's tooth. A bite that is hard enough to break the skin, even with prompt treatment, may result in an amputation. If treatment is delayed twelve hours, the chances of amputation are increased threefold. In fact, said Dr. Otho C. Hudson of Hempstead, L.I., in last fortnight's New York State Journal of Medicine, human bites anywhere on the body are much more dangerous than animal bites (except, of course, those of rabid dogs). Reason: human mouths contain very destructive bacteria.

When a hand is "bitten" (usually...

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