Venomous Encounters - Snakes, Vivisection and Scientific Medicine in Colonial Australia (Hardcover)

How do we know which snakes are dangerous? This seemingly simple question caused constant concern for the white settlers who colonised Australia after 1788. Facing a multitude of serpents in the bush, their fields and their homes, colonists wanted to know which were the harmful species and what to do when bitten. But who could provide this expertise? Liberally illustrated with period images, Venomous encounters argues that much of the knowledge about which snakes were deadly was created by observing snakebite in domesticated creatures, from dogs to cattle. Originally accidental, by the middle of the nineteenth century this process became deliberate. Doctors, naturalists and amateur antidote sellers all caused snakes to bite familiar creatures in order to demonstrate the effects of venom - and the often erratic impact of 'cures'. In exploring this culture of colonial vivisection, Venomous encounters asks fundamental questions about human-animal relationships and the nature of modern medicine. -- .

General

Imprint:	Manchester University Press
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Studies in Imperialism
Release date:	2017
First published:	2017
Authors:	Peter Hobbins
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 20mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	216
ISBN-13:	978-1-5261-0144-0
Categories:	Books > Medicine > General issues > History of medicine Books > Medicine > Other branches of medicine > Pharmacology > Medical toxicology
LSN:	1-5261-0144-0
Barcode:	9781526101440

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