Full Description
The literature on snakes is manifold but overwhelmingly centered on the natural sciences. Little has been published about them in the fields of popular culture or the history of medicine.
Focusing primarily on American culture and history from the 1800s, this study draws on a wide range of sources--including newspaper archives, medical journals, and archives from the Smithsonian Institute--to examine the complex relationship between snakes and humans.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface: Dangerous Neighbors by Jesse C. Donahue
1. Bitten: Poor Americans and Snakes
2. Cures: The Strange and Often Painful Treatment for Snakebite Before American Antivenin
3. Antivenin: Bringing the Real Cure to the United States
4. On Stage: Traveling Acts, Circuses and Zoos
5. On Screen: Snakes in the Movies, Reality Television and Documentaries
6. In Jesus' Name: Holiness and the Handling of Serpents
Conclusion: Has Anything Changed?
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
