Venom documents an important chapter in Australian herpetological history , which must never be forgotten or overlooked . It is eloquently written , factual and engaging - a must read for every herper , whether you like taipans or not . qtr page ad
A Good Book .
Reviewed by Michael Cermak .
In essence , this book describes events and stories between the time of European settlement and the first production of taipan antivenom .
The author , Brendan James Murray , is a high school teacher with a fascination for reptiles and considerable writing skills . He spent between six and eight months researching the topic and conducting interviews - travelling as far afield as north Queensland . For someone who is not a herpetologist , it was an ambitious and lengthy project that required a huge amount of investigation ; following leads to contact those few old herpers still alive and relatives of those who aren ’ t .
The hero of the book is George Rosendale , an Aboriginal man now living at Hope Vale in north Queensland , the only person who survived a taipan bite without the aid of antivenom . The ordeal is vividly described by Rosendale himself , and the following chapters shed light not only on his life and experiences but touch deeply on the sufferings that Aboriginal people endured ( many didn ’ t survive ) in the early days .
It ’ s astonishing how many people died as a result of taipan bite - and in most cases how fast . The author explains : ‘ In Venom I refer to about fifteen fatal cases that probably involved taipans , and there were plenty of others I could have included . It had a significant impact on the public consciousness of the time , but actually wasn ’ t a major issue when compared to other dangers like farming accidents . Snakes , though , seem to trigger a primal fear and awe in many people .’ Some of the cases described send shivers up the spine , particularly one instance in which a chisel was driven into the bite site to induce bleeding . The desperation of doctors watching their patients die must have been horrific .
say as to the cover layout , which in this case succeeded in appealing to a broad audience .
Venom documents an important chapter in Australian herpetological history , which must never be forgotten or overlooked . It is eloquently written , factual and engaging - a must read for every herper , whether you like taipans or not . qtr page ad
Echo a division of Bonnier Publishing Australia ; Paperback ; 385pp ; AU $ 32.99 ; ISBN 9781760405694 .
Many well-known names are mentioned in the book , however , one person ’ s story stands out – that of the life and death of Kevin Budden and his quest to catch the first wild taipan . Although the subject matter gives the book a rather sombre feel , there are funny parts , along with the happy story of the survival of the young Bruce Stringer , the first recipient of the ‘ experimental ’ taipanspecific antivenom in 1955 .
It ’ s hard to find any criticism of this book , although I would have liked to have seen an explanation of the current pressure immobilisation first-aid treatment . The cover of the book received mixed responses from the herp community , but the fact is that an author has little
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