United States
£ GBP
Language: English
Snakes, Snakebite and Envenoming in Sri Lanka describes historical facts of snakes; anatomy, behavior and details of the venom and classification of snakes relevant to Sri Lanka and Asia. The book is of relevance to health care professionals as it deals with the effects of snakebite and all the treatment methods in hospitals including first aid. It also describes safe catching and relocation techniques of snakes. The book has more than 70 good quality pictures.
Foreword iv
Preface vi
Snakes 1
Historical note 3
Snake and venom apparatus 5
Classification of venomous snakes of Sri Lanka 9
Snake venom 19
Medically important snakes of Sri Lanka 25
Distribution of venomous snakes in Sri Lanka 26
Morphological characteristics, habitats and behaviour 27
Epidemiology and clinical manifestations 41
Management of snakebite in a tertiary care hospital 69
First aid 153
Management at a peripheral hospital 157
Special situations (children, the elderly, in pregnancy and underlying diseases) 163
Mistaken diagnosis of snakebite 166
Health education: prevention of snakebite 167
Safe catching and relocation of live snakes 171
Less venomous and non-venomous snakebites 174
Summary (management in brief) 179
Conclusion 195
References 196
Annex 1 (algorithm) 206
Index 209
Plates 1- 16
Professor SAM Kularatne has been fascinated by snakes since childhood, as these reptiles were often encountered in his ancestral village at Nikaweratiya. Having witnessed victims of snakebites both alive and dead, and how they were treated by the native physicians, laid the foundation to take up herpetology as a field ofinterest.
