I would have given some credence to the treatment if the mechanism of the electrical shock were in some way denaturing the venom proteins (this is how meat tenderizer works with jellyfish and insect stings – the enzyme papain denatures the venom proteins). However, you state they were able to “reactivate” the venom, which would tend to discount that theory. My question is, how did they recovery the venom and test it to determine “reactivation”?

The use of strong electrical current in various medical treatments has some merit. A European group of medical investigators used electrical probes placed strategically in patients with lung cancer to reduce the size of the tumors without major damage to surrounding tissue. It is similar in effect to radiation therapy in which sub-lethal exposure to radiation is directed though multiple intersecting lines. Where they converge and provide a lethal is at the tumor location. Electrodes placed on the surface of the skin and activated will cause the contraction of local muscle fibers and can be used in conjunction with physical therapy for increasing/maintaining muscle tone.

I am not totally ready to “myth bust” this one quite yet. I am reminded of the Australian Investigator Dr. Barry Marshal, who for many years put forth his theory that a bacterium was a leading cause of stomach ulcers. The medical community consistently criticized him and considered him a medical quack. It was not until he ingested and was able to fulfill Koch’s Postulates (not something I would recommend) that he was able to prove Helicobacter pylori was the cause of a significant incidence of stomach ulcers, worlwide.

Pete