Snake Envenomation: A Protracted Medicolegal Dispute

Snakebite envenomation is a medical emergency that primarily affects the poor in tropical rural areas. The victims are typically agricultural and plantation workers who leave behind a large family in a deplorable state. Under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.), 1973, the cause of death must be determined in suspicious fatal cases for a myriad of purposes, such as ruling out suicide, homicide, or accident, or to obtain insurance benefits. Fatal snakebite cases, unless proven beyond a reasonable doubt, can place an additional burden on the victims' families by preventing insurance claims from being processed. The detection and confirmation of snake venoms in post-mortem body exhibits is required in forensic toxicology because insurance companies and the government require confirmation of death by snakebite for proper insurance and financial welfare scheme disbursement. This highlights the critical need for tests to confirm snake venom in viscera samples. Snakebite deaths have long been a bitter legal dispute in India, owing to gaps in forensic confirmation and characterization of snake venom. This chapter discusses the current limitations of forensic science in the detection and confirmation of snake venoms, as well as provides recommendations for forensic laboratories to use in the detection and verification of the presence of snake venom antigens in post-mortem exhibits.