camwyn | Another reason to be proud of people

An e-mail saved this boy's life
By Jane Elliott
BBC News health reporter

Few thought this little boy would survive after he was bitten by a snake in Nepal.

His parents consulted a Shaman who bound the boy's leg so tightly with a tourniquet it went gangrenous.

When doctors eventually saw him they were at a loss to know how to save him. The bandage had been on for 25 days and his leg was hanging off.

Everyone was resigned to him dying.

But his life was saved by the dedication of an English lord and his wife, their aid charity and a team of the best surgeons in the world.

Some of world's top surgeons were consulted and gave their advice that his leg should be amputated as quickly as possible to save his life. Against the odds he survived and he is now waiting to have an artificial leg fitted.

From the front room of their home near Canterbury, Lord and Lady Swinfen mastermind an e-mail system that puts hospitals in the developing world in touch with the best surgeons in their field.

The project ensures that whatever the time of day or night and whatever the time zone there is always someone available to answer pleas for help and trigger a response...

That'd be the Swinfen Charitable Trust, whose web site can be perused here.