Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute
Encyclopedia
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, is a famous institute
Institute
An institute is a permanent organizational body created for a certain purpose. Often it is a research organization created to do research on specific topics...
that specialises in the husbandry of venomous snakes, the extraction
Extraction
Extraction may refer to:* Extraction , an album by guitarist Greg Howe* Extraction , the separation of a substance from a matrix* Extraction , the removal of someone from a hostile area to a secure location...
and research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
of snake venom
Snake venom
Snake venom is highly modified saliva that is produced by special glands of certain species of snakes. The glands which secrete the zootoxin are a modification of the parotid salivary gland of other vertebrates, and are usually situated on each side of the head below and behind the eye,...
. It also houses the snake farm
Snake farm
A snake farm refers to a Structure which houses and breeds a wide variety of snakes, often for the purpose of research and the collection of venom for the creation of antivenom. Many snake farms are primarily tourist attractions...
, a popular tourist attraction.
The origins of the institute can be traced back to 1912 when King Rama VI
Vajiravudh
Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramentharamaha Vajiravudh Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Phra Bat Somdet Phra Ramathibodi Si Sintharamaha Vajiravudh Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama VI was the sixth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1910 until his death...
granted permission for a government institute to manufacture and distribute rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
vaccine upon the suggestion of Prince Damrong
Damrong Rajanubhab
Ditsawarakuman Damrong Rajanubhab was the founder of the modern Thai education system as well as the modern provincial administration...
, whose daughter, Princess Banlusirisarn, had died from rabies infection. It was officially opened on 26 October 1913 in the Luang Building on Bamrung Muang Road as the Pastura Institute after Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments...
, who discovered the first vaccine against rabies. In 1917 it was renamed the Pasteur Institute and placed under the supervision of the Thai Red Cross Society
Thai Red Cross Society
The Thai Red Cross Society is the major humanitarian organisation in Thailand, providing services as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement...
. The institute also produced vaccine against smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
.
In the early 1920s the king offered his private property for the construction of a new home for the institute on Rama IV Road. The new buildings were officially opened on 7 December 1922, now named for the king's mother, Queen Saovabha
Saovabha
Queen Saovabha Bongsri was a half-sister and queen of King Chulalongkorn of Thailand, and mother of both King Vajiravudh and King Prajadhipok...
. At the same time, the institute's first director, Dr. Leopold Robert, requested contributions from foreigners living in Thailand for the establishment of a snake farm, which would enable the institute to manufacture antivenom for snake bites. Reportedly the second snake farm in the world after one in Sao Paolo, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, it was opened on 22 November 1923 by Queen Savang Vadhana
Savang Vadhana
Queen Savang Vadhana of Siam was a consort of King Chulalongkorn or Rama V. Her full name and title was Queen Sri Savarindira - thus she was not the Rajini , but just was a highest consort...
, then President of the Thai Red Cross, on the institute's premises.
The research into snake venom is highly important, since many people fall victim to venomous snake bites. Normally only an antidote
Antidote
An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek αντιδιδοναι antididonai, "given against"....
that is based from the same snake’s venom can save the individual's life.
Containing thousands of some of the most venomous snakes in the world, such as the king cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
and all sorts of viper
Viperidae
The Viperidae are a family of venomous snakes found all over the world, except in Antarctica, Australia, Ireland, Madagascar, Hawaii, various other isolated islands, and above the Arctic Circle. All have relatively long, hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of venom. Four...
s, the snake farm is a highlight
Highlight
Highlight may refer to:* In photography, any of the brightest parts of a subject, in contraposition to "shadow"* An especially significant or interesting detail or phenomenon.Highlight is also used in the following expressions:...
for any tourist visit. There are daily shows where handlers play around with pythons, and extractions of venom can also be witnessed. There is also a museum, and lectures are given.
The QSMI and the snake farm are located near Chulalongkorn Hospital, on the corner of Henri Dunant Road and Rama IV Road.