A handler extracts venom from a rattlesnake in this clip from “Ross Allen Reptile Institute,” ca. 1960 (13:33). During the demonstration, the snake’s fangs are pressed against a glass to collect the substance. In one especially tense moment, the handler even exposes a fang with his finger. The film’s narrator explains that venom collected at the institute was provided to laboratories for scientific study and the production of life-saving serums. The full tourism film follows Allen and his team a

This 1960s film promotes the Ross Allen Reptile Institute at Silver Springs. Allen wrestles an alligator and an anaconda at Silver Springs and shows where they are enclosed at the institute. There is also footage of the Seminole Indian Village, the Jungle Cruise down the Silver River and Bartlett’s Deer Ranch. View the entire film on Florida Memory. Video: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/232386 | State Archives of Florida