A young medical student in Little Rock invented a unique, safe tool for capturing snakes. Dr. Lawrence Pillstrom was studying snake venom and its effects in 1953 when he created a device from a broom handle and the coil springs from the back of a refrigerator to capture the dangerous reptiles he needed for his research.
He continued to develop improved prototypes for the device, finally patenting his Pillstrom Tongs in 1957. While maintaining his medical practice, Pillstrom marketed his Pillstrom Tongs at such events as rattlesnake round-ups before making them available in hardware stores and later online. He adapted his creation to make tools for hunting frogs, picking up aluminum cans, and pruning trees, among other uses.
Pillstrom retired from his medical practice in 1984 but managed his tong firm with his son until his death in 2003. The Pillstrom Tongs company, employing around a dozen Pillstrom family members, continues to manufacture the tools at their firm in Rogers.
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