Scorpions are highly active in summer. What should you do if you get stung by a scorpion?
When I was little (twenty years ago) and in elementary school, a large scorpion sold for 1 yuan each, a medium-sized one for 5 jiao each, and small ones were unwanted by anyone. Back then, 1 yuan could buy ten strips of spicy gluten! Enough to splurge on for a whole week! On weekends I would go up the mountain with my friends to dig for scorpions, sometimes only two or three, sometimes more than a dozen, and use chopsticks or tweezers to put them into a bottle. I was clumsy with chopsticks from childhood, and I was unlucky enough to be stung by scorpions three times. Fortunately, I am not someone with a sensitivity to scorpion venom, so I endured the pain, watched my finger swell for half a day, and then it was fine.
The worst scorpion sting I saw on a friend was one that was sent straight to the hospital, and I also saw a friend whose whole arm swelled up almost to the point of bursting after being stung on the finger. At the time I pressed it with my finger and secretly gloated for quite a while, because every time it was that little brat who dug up the most scorpions.
Later, the friends who dug for scorpions together all grew up. Once when we sat together talking about digging for scorpions as kids, a friend who studied medicine told us that because a very small number of people are especially sensitive to scorpion venom, if stung and not treated in time, it can be fatal. Only then did we start taking scorpion stings seriously, and we listened carefully as he explained to us what to do after being stung by a scorpion.
What to do after being stung by a scorpion
The first thing to do after being stung by a scorpion is to use a rope or clothing to tie tightly on the side closer to the heart, and pull out the venomous stinger. Actually, by this time the stinger has already gone far away with the scorpion. If it stung deep enough that the scorpion is still hanging on your body, pull the scorpion out first and then tie the rope. It looks really creepy.
The second is to suck out the venom with your mouth. If it is in a place your mouth cannot reach, having a friend suck it is also fine. If it really is in a place too awkward to put your mouth, then use the squeezing method. In short, before the venom spreads, squeeze or suck out as much venom as possible.
The third is to wash the wound with soapy water or soda water, because scorpion venom is acidic, and washing with alkaline soapy water or soda water can neutralize part of the venom.
The fourth is to grind alum, realgar and the like into powder and apply it to the wound. Follow the steps in order one by one. After treatment is finished, the rope can be loosened. Tying it too long can cause poor local blood circulation and other harm.
As long as the above four steps are done, being stung by a scorpion is generally not a big problem. If you keep a very highly venomous scorpion species and get stung, ignore the above four steps and seek medical attention promptly.
The above comes from Kexue Xingnong.