Snake Doctor – Snake Feeder

L.B. Sandy Rock MD

Snike Fieder
It was a fairly slow summer afternoon, and Geraldine came around to the doctor’s call room where I rested whenever there was a break in the action saying, “Well Doctor, c’mon now…you need to see this fella in Room 2.” Something about the way she said that made me a bit suspicious; I got up, threw my scope around my neck, and headed across the hall. I tapped on the door and entered. “Hi, there,” I said to the thin, young man sitting shirtless on the exam table, “what brings you in to see us?”

“Got hit b’a snike fieder,” he replied.

I paused. “You…what…?” I apologized.

“Got hit by a snike fieder,” he responded again, slightly more clearly and loudly. He seemed a bit irritated.

“Hang on a second,” I said to him, trying not to act anything but professionally. “Geraldine,” I called calmly through the slightly open door, “Geraldine, could you give me a hand here…”

“Yes, Doctor…”

“Maybe you could help me understand this fella’s…uh…concern…?”

He repeated his reason for visiting us on that warm summer day.

“Well, Doctor,” chimed Geraldine, “he got hit by a snake feeder.” Her accent was one of few that I could understand regularly. I hadn’t been in BSG for long that summer day.

“OK, well, pardon my ignorance, but I don’t know what that is…,” I smiled, “maybe you can tell me how this happened.”

By that time, I had looked at the small dot in the center of his sternum (breastbone) that was slightly darkened, possibly a small clot. There was no other physical evidence of injury. He proceeded to tell me he was riding his motorcycle down the road when a “snake feeder” hit him in the chest. He felt fine, but he zoomed home and told his father who had told him it could be a dangerous injury (bite? sting?) so he came to the hospital. He described this critter to me, but he wasn’t the most articulate young man, so I asked if he could draw a picture. He did.

Within the first four or five strokes of the pen, I realized that a “snake feeder,” or “snike fieder,” is a dragonfly, about as harmless an insect as you could find. Neither he nor Geraldine nor anyone else I asked over the ensuing weeks could tell me why they call dragonflies “snake feeders,” but I had my theories. I reassured the young man, had Geraldine put some antiseptic on his wound, and released him to his father who had been anxiously waiting for him outside.

“He gonna be OK, Doc,” he tossed as I walked out the door with him.

“Absolutely,” I replied, wishing all stories had happy—and amusing—endings like this one.

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From my memoir about practicing medicine in SWVA portion of Appalachia in the Seventies.

Barbara Jenkins

I grew up and still live in Buncombe County, WNC. I always heard them called snake feeders as a child. There’s been 2 in my back yard for the last few days and yesterday a black snake joined them out there.

Helen Gardner

I never heard either term. Maybe because I lived in the city. I’m sure if my daddy, who grew up in Tennessee, had called them snake feeders or snake doctors the few times we saw them he would’ve told us.

Bernie Parsons

I was a small boy in Floyd County, in eastern Kentucky, in the 1950s. We grew up hearing them called, and calling them, “snake doctors” and “snake feeders”. At that time, I never knew them as dragonflies.

Larry Griffith

I grew up in E.KY. and always called them snake feeders. As a boy I thought they actually feed snakes.

Larry Griffith

I grew up in E.KY. and always called them snake feeders. As a boy I thought they actually feed snakes.

Lora Pauley Ward

I grew up in Southern West Virginia and always heard them called snake doctors. I had heard of dragonflies, mostly in books, but was an adult before I realized they were the same thing. My friend grew up 17 miles from me and had only heard them called dragonflies, until yesterday at the lake which led to an interesting conversation.

Richard Beauchamp

I have heard and used snake feeder all my life. Also heard snake Doctor but never used as much as snake feeder in my area,

Tim Cuthbertson

My grandfather was born in the big mountains of western North Carolina in the early 1890’s, and he always called them snake doctors. I still call them that to this day.

TimMc

We always called them Snake Doctors, never knew why, just did. When we first built the house we live in now we had a gold fish/ koi pond with a water fall use to sit on the back deck and love to watch them hover over it.. Pump kept going out was to expense to maintain, something to do everyday, worst than a chicken house.. covered it up..

Jack

When I was a child they were commonly called “snake doctors”. Also, had an uncle in Mississippi and the name was used there also. Haven’t heard anyone use that title in quite a while ,and had essentially forgotten the term until your comment. I think I’ll go back to calling them snake doctors to perpetuate the usage.

Bryant

Has anyone living on NC, ever heard of Fishing Creek, NC? My family ancestors came from Ireland and settled in that area. ” Cooper”, was Cowpers in Ireland. However, originally they were from England and were Barrel Makers. Also, there is Cooper island located in the Virgin island, it was a Barrel manufactuering there.

Ken Ryan

We always called them mosquito hawks.

Ken

Tipper,
When I was in grammer and even
elementary school, we took 5 gallon buckets and filled them with brim from Queen’s Creek Lake. Those little boogers were so thin, you could read a newspaper thru ’em.
We built a pond and fed them oatmeal, the top of the water was
like Peronas at feeding time. At
the upper end and along the sides
were Cattails and snake feeders
were just thick. We shot lots of
’em with BB’s and got lots of
water snakes too. But we never
did see a snake feeder actually
feeding a snake…Ken

PinnacleCreek

The first “snake doctor” I remember was hanging around an old creek. We played in the creek daily as children. Children are not always observant, so there was probably many snakes near that ole creek. I recently went back to that area and took pictures…so serene. Of course, I had to capture a picture of the creek. I haven’t seen a snake doctor for many years. Schooling tried to brainwash the Appalachian out of me, but they failed miserably.
It is great that Pap has a wheelchair ramp. Many temporarily and permanently disabled are confined to home due to not having access via wheelchair ramp. In the mountains all types of carpentry skills can sometimes be found in each family; it is necessary to have self sufficiency. Pap is blessed to have the family he has. Word of warning–those wheelchair ramps get slick slick in winter!

Tamela

I’ll bet Pap is looking forward to getting out! – even if it is with a wheel chair. Good time of year too – will soon be perfect healing weather with the sun shining down.
About those dragonflies – I’m not familiar with the “Snake” terms. I have heard them called “darning needles” – I thought that was because of the zig-zag path they sometimes fly over a specific location. I’ve also heard them called “flying jewels” but we have very few of the colorful versions in out parts.
Did hear of a butterfly enthusiast observing a dragonfly laying eggs on his sun roof. I thought perhaps the angle of the sun fooled the poor thing into thinking the sun roof was a water surface . . . .

Deborah Catoe

Yes, Tipper, I have always heard them called snake doctors. I call them that still today. We hope that Pap is doing well.