Abstract
An electric current (twenty 11 A, 7000 V spikes s−1 for 90 s) from a commercial stun gun was applied directly to a rattlesnake venom solution in an electrolysis cell with 2 electrode compartments and a central compartment, in order to evaluate the effect that high voltage electroshock might have on the lethality of the venom. The venom was electroshocked for 18 times longer than recommended by stun gun manufacturers. There was no measurable inactivation of the venom using LD50 determinations in mice. A venom sample was electrolyzed at a voltage lower than that from the stun gun, but with 4–5 times the total charge delivered from the stun gun. This inactivated the venom at the electrodes, but not within the central compartment, demonstrating that there was no direct effect of the electric field on the activity of the snake venom.