Professor Sutherland was one of Australia's most brilliant and controversial scientists. Well-known for his work on animal toxins, his legacy includes the Snake Venom Detection Kit, and Sydneysiders will always be grateful for his discovery of the Funnelweb spider antivenom, which has saved many lives. This is a witty account of a complex life, covering his time at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, his battle to continue important research into our animal toxins, and his successful foundation of the Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne. The story of his career is also a story about the workings and politics of bureaucracies and the research establishment in Australia. This is an intriguing read.
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A Venomous Life
27 Feb 2000
By Mr David A Horton
- Published on Amazon.com
A very interesting book by a man whose work has affected the lives of many. This book should prove an inspiration to all, not just those in research.
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Book
16 Feb 2010
By J. Johnson
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
As someone who has been interested in venomous critters ever since I was a child, I found A Venomous Life to be a wonderful read. It is NOT a dry, boring, chemistry-up-the-ying-yang textbook on toxicology (see Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies if you want a good tox book).
Instead, this book details the life of one of Australia's most dedicated researchers of venomous critters, and how he worked to mitigate the risk of injury or death from exposure to their bites/stings. Australia is a beautiful country, if you can ignore the snakes "down under" that are 100+ times more venomous than our humble rattlesnake here in the United States. Then again, they've also got tunnel-web spiders with fangs strong/long enough to punch through shoes or thumbnails, and a neat little tick that can paralyze you with a bite. Great country, nasty critters! Sutherland's book discusses these beasties, and more.
Sutherland was a physician, and was a self-admitted "prig" upon graduation from med school. He spent some time in the Royal Australian Navy before beginning a decades-long career in research focused on Australia's venomous animals (and antidotes to their venoms).
This book goes into some detail regarding the events of his childhood, his time in the military, as well as giving insight to the technical/emotional/personal/managerial challenges he faced during his career. In the preface to the book, he faces his own death (from a neurological disorder called Striatal Nigral Degeneration) with grace and humor.
This book helps the reader understand Dr. Sutherland as a human, with human faults along with a brilliant mind. His inventions, including pressure bandaging for a venomous spider or snake bite, along with antivenoms for the Sydney funnel-web spider will hopefully serve as lasting memorials to his intelligence (and sense of humor).
Instead, this book details the life of one of Australia's most dedicated researchers of venomous critters, and how he worked to mitigate the risk of injury or death from exposure to their bites/stings. Australia is a beautiful country, if you can ignore the snakes "down under" that are 100+ times more venomous than our humble rattlesnake here in the United States. Then again, they've also got tunnel-web spiders with fangs strong/long enough to punch through shoes or thumbnails, and a neat little tick that can paralyze you with a bite. Great country, nasty critters! Sutherland's book discusses these beasties, and more.
Sutherland was a physician, and was a self-admitted "prig" upon graduation from med school. He spent some time in the Royal Australian Navy before beginning a decades-long career in research focused on Australia's venomous animals (and antidotes to their venoms).
This book goes into some detail regarding the events of his childhood, his time in the military, as well as giving insight to the technical/emotional/personal/managerial challenges he faced during his career. In the preface to the book, he faces his own death (from a neurological disorder called Striatal Nigral Degeneration) with grace and humor.
This book helps the reader understand Dr. Sutherland as a human, with human faults along with a brilliant mind. His inventions, including pressure bandaging for a venomous spider or snake bite, along with antivenoms for the Sydney funnel-web spider will hopefully serve as lasting memorials to his intelligence (and sense of humor).
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