Installation art and social science intersect in an exhibition hosted by the French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP) that reveals a gamut of engrossing details about snake venom, and the transitioning from the poison-filled fang to a vial of antidote.
Sealed clay pots lit up from the inside to illustrate information tiles give visitors a behind the scenes glimpse into how the venom extracted by an Irula tribe snake-catcher, dried and purified in labs, injected in micro doses into horses, and the antibodies thus formed are harvested as blood plasma, processed and mass manufactured as life-saving poly venom vials.
The show (February 1-11), “Slithering Cures-Snakes and Antivenoms in South India” ,has been organised by Mathieu Quet, sociologist and associate researcher at IFP in association with French independent artist Camille Neff and Maida Chavak, scenographer.
The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, which also operates the Irular Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society in Mamallapuram.
“We wanted to not only shine a light on the public health dimension of snake bites in India, but also focus on the sociological aspect of the Irulas’ plight and the technical angle involving the complex manufacturing process of anti venom”, said Mr. Quet.
“As horses play such a crucial role in anti venom production cycle, there is also an animal welfare question relating to their proper care”, Mr. Quet said.
It is estimated that roughly 50,000 to 60,000 people die from lethal snake-bites every year in India. The “big four”--- common krait, Indian cobra, Russell’s viper and saw scaled viper---account for about 90% of the deaths. In 2017, the World Health Organisation added snakebite envenoming to its list of Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Some aspects of anti venom production have improved, while other process have seen little change from the time French scientist and physician Albert Calmette created the first snake antivenom in the late 19th century.
“The focus of research has shifted to countries like India which are saddled with a snake-bite public health problem. One of the key areas of research interest these days is to minimise adverse reaction in patients to antibodies that are hosted in horses”, said Mr. Quet.
The artists have added a few touches to the show to pique the curiosity of child visitors, such as listening to special sound effects from scanning a QR code.
The event, which included a round table on “Snakebite mitigation and anti venom production in India” and discussions on the state of anti-venom sector, from extraction to manufacture, will feature a concert (Punnagavarali raga) by Mahesh Vinayakram on Friday.
Published - February 08, 2024 10:19 pm IST
