How a Man’s 200 Snakebites Would Make Maomao Proud
You know Maomao—our freckle-faced, poison-obsessed apothecary who tests toxins on herself like it’s teatime? Turns out, her brand of reckless devotion exists in real life. Meet Tim Friede, a Wisconsin man who let venomous snakes bite him 202 times to help create a universal antivenom
Sound familiar? Let’s geek out over the parallels.
The Self-Experimenters: Maomao vs. Tim Friede
Maomao: Bandaged arm covered in self-inflicted scars from testing poisons and remedies. She’s "fascinated by venomous animals more so than commonplace pets" (snakes, spiders, centipedes) and built a mithridatic resistance through repeated exposure
Tim Friede: Injected himself 654 times with snake venom + endured 202 bites from black mambas, cobras, and taipans. Like Maomao, he survived near-fatal reactions (including a 4-day coma) to develop ultra-rare antibodies
“If I should die, I’d want to die of poison.” — Maomao’s iconic line 1.
“Was it stupid? Yes. But I’m in it for the science.” — Tim Friede, post-coma
The “Universal Antidote” Dream
Maomao’s Goal: Cure poisonings in the Imperial Court using her knowledge of toxins (e.g., identifying lead poisoning in makeup, creating antidotes for consorts)
Tim’s Legacy: His antibodies + a drug (varespladib) created an antivenom that fully protected mice from 13 snake species (cobras, mambas, etc.) and partially protected 6 more—the broadest coverage ever achieved
Pragmatism vs. Recklessness
Both justify their risks with cold logic:
Maomao Views poison-tests as necessary for survival in the Red Light District. She avoids romanticizing pain: "Experiments are practical; death is inefficient"
Tim: "I wanted to push the limits [...] for people 8,000 miles away dying from snakebite" 4. His work targets 140,000 annual snakebite deaths
Maomao’s experiments horrify the Inner Court. Similarly, scientists emphatically warn against Friede’s methods:
"No one should ever try this. Snake venom is dangerous." —Dr. Jacob Glanville
Both believe knowledge requires sacrifice. Maomao tests buckwheat allergies despite failures; Tim kept injecting venom after losing finger tissue and was hospitalized multiple times
So next time you rewatch Apothecary Diaries, remember: Maomao isn’t just a quirky toxophilite...
She’s the anime embodiment of humanity’s grim, glorious pursuit of resilience.
Imagine Maomao meeting Friede:
Maomao, inspecting his fang scars: “Interesting... but why not use mice first?”
Friede: “Mice don’t build human antibodies.”
Maomao, scribbling notes: “Fair. Pass the venom.”
