During Taiwan's period under Japanese rule, injuries caused by poisonous snakes were a frequent occurrence, so in the 1930s Tu Tsung-ming of Taihoku Imperial (later National Taiwan) University Medical College began studying poisonous snakes, and started a trend of research into snake venom antiserums.
日據時期，由於頻傳毒蛇傷人事件，當時的帝大醫學部教授杜聰明提倡研究蛇毒，帶起了台灣毒蛇血清研究風氣。