Other Animal (But Non-Buggy) Crackers

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Debunked: Electric shock (taser, stun-gun, car battery) neutralizes snake venom.

This is a dangerously false idea, not only because it promotes an ineffective treatment for a serious condition but because the shock may do more harm than the initial snakebite. Careful studies have revealed no benefit whatsoever from applying electric shock to snakebite victims; however, the story persists, perhaps because many snakebites are "dry" (no venom injected), and the victim's "miraculous" survival is attributed to a treatment which, however, is pure snake oil.

Cites:

Gold & Willis. Snake venom poisoning in the United States: A review of therapeutic practice. Southern Medical Journal, 87(6), June 1994, 579-589.

Howe, N.R. and J.L. Meisenheimer, Jr. Electric shock does not save snakebitten rats. Annals of Emergency Medicine 17(3), March 1988, 254-256.

Johnson, E.K., K.V. Kardong, and S.P. Mackessy. Electric shocks are ineffective in treatment of lethal effects of rattlesnake envenomation in mice. Toxicon 25(12) 1987, 1347-1349.

References:

• HerpMed Web page on electroshock treatment for snakebite.