Venomous Reptiles and Their Toxins

[venomdoc]

It is finally shipping Four years of work commencing with four months stuck in a hospital bed with a broken back as an exercise to keep me from going insane with boredom and frustration. It was surreal to finally hold a copy of it!



Here is the Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019930 ... M52C7KV3C2

[BillMcGighan]

Congrats finishing the project, Bryan.

Who is the target audience?

[gbin]

What a great accomplishment! Congratulations, Bryan!



Gerry

[venomdoc]

Hi BillMcGighan,

The target audience is anyone working with these animals or with an interest in them. The book is certainly pitched at professionals in the field (academics, doctors, vets, zoo keepers etc.) but it is accessible to others as well. While some of the chapters are very technical in nature (e.g. research methods) others (such as the chapter dealing with protocols surrounding the maintenance of venomous collections) are directly relevant to anyone keeping these animals. So it does not lock anyone out but is an opportunity for anyone to expand their knowledge base

Cheers
B

[Bryan Hamilton]

Its expensive! But no doubt worth it. Nice work venomdoc.

Any interest in taking a look at regional variation in Crotalus lutosus venom? I have a few questions that I think would be interesting related to feeding ecology.

[venomdoc]

Haven't been working with that particular Crotalus species but we are looking at other ones

[Bob McKeever]

Since the question about target audience was asked, I thought I'd pass along my thoughts on this book which I've been wading through for a few weeks. By no means consider this a formal or critical review.

There are several chapters that a good many on this forum (based on their posts) will find worth the price of admission (my experience anyway).
Ch. 1 Origin & Evolution of Toxicofera Reptile Venom System
Ch. 2 Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment of Envenomation
Ch. 3 Antivenom Research & Development
Ch. 4 Ineffective Traditional and Modern Techniques for the Treatment of Snakebite
Since I frequently speak to paramedics & other first responders about snakebite (some of you may give similar presentations) I found these chapters particularly helpful.
Ch. 5 Maintaining Venomous Reptile Collections . . .
This chapter is an eye-opener for the small-time venomous keeper such as myself. Gave me ideas & a lot to reconsider.
Ch. 25 Poisonous Snakes and Komodo Dragon Weaponized Bacteria: Which is Myth & Which is Reality?
A new look at an often misunderstood phenomenon regarding the Dragon.

The intervening chapters (most dedicated to specific toxins) are for the specialist. If you are at a level wherein the lingo is not akin to another language (not my current status) then you'll benefit from the entire volume. I'm working through these at a slow pace learning the language as I go & will, no doubt, absorb enough to make it worth the time invested.

Kudos to Venomdoc (hope nothing I've said is out of line)
Bob

[venomdoc]

Thank you

[Hans Breuer (twoton)]

Congratulations! What's "biodiscovery"?

[venomdoc]

Natural product research leading to an applied outcome such as a the high blood pressure drug Captopril being developed from a modified snake toxin.

[Hans Breuer (twoton)]

Thanks very much!