Healthline Blogs
Dr. Paul Auerbach is the world's leading outdoor health expert. His blog offers tips on outdoor safety and advice on how to handle wilderness emergencies.
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Jun 14 2011
Snakebite and Snake Venom Information
Eastern coral snake, photo courtesy of Norman Benton, CC-BY-SA 3.0The Wilderness Medical Society held its annual meeting at Snowmass last summer July 23-28, 2010. There were numerous terrific educational sessions. In a series of posts, I am goi...
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Mar 11 2011
Achieving Initial Control with Antivenom in Snakebite Victims
Broad-banded Copperhead SnakeWhen someone is bitten by pit viper snakes (examples include rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths) in the U.S., they may or may not become envenomed, depending on a number of factors: the size of the snake, ...
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Feb 10 2011
New Head Lice Treatment for Children and Adults: Natroba
Outdoor adventures sometimes take us to locations where the sleeping arrangements create exposure to mites and lice. While some may think of this as a problem more common to lower socioeconomic classes and third world countries, the fact is th...
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Mar 13 2010
Spearfishing and Shark Attack
Even though it's still winter on the east coast of the U.S., it won't be long until spring is here and people begin heading for the beach. The "snowbirds" continue to flock to Florida and many of my friends are heading off on dive vacations. This ...
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Feb 23 2010
Copperhead Snakebites
The general perception that copperhead bites are less severe than those of other pit vipers, namely rattlesnakes, is no doubt true. It is also likely true that coagulopathy (propensity to bleed) is not as much of a problem with copperhead bites.
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Feb 20 2010
Dog Bite Deaths
Dog attacks are a major public health concern worldwide. In the United States, dogs bite more than 4 million people each year, occasionally resulting in fatalities.
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Oct 31 2009
Jellyfish and Such
Jellyfishes are stinging creatures with stinging “cells,” which are highly specialized and designed to inoculate prey with venom.
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Oct 28 2009
Sea Urchins and Such
Sea urchins are free-living echinoderms with egg-shaped, globular or flattened bodies. They are covered by tightly arranged spines and/or triple-jawed pedicellariae, which are seizing and envenoming organs
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Oct 24 2009
Stingrays and Such
Marine venoms, similar to other toxins and poisons that originate in the animal and plant kingdoms, may cause a wide range of human physiological derangements. It is very important to remember that certain of these venoms, such as that elaborated ...
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Feb 18 2009
Naturally Occurring Toxins: An Introduction
Toxinology is a branch of toxicology that involves the study of naturally occurring toxins, including those found in microorganisms, plants and animals. These natural toxins are among the most complicated and lethal in existence.
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