Urban envenomation

Over a 12‐year period, 61 patients were admitted to a metropolitan hospital on 67 occasions with envenomation from snakes, spiders, ticks or bees. We describe the epidemiology of the bites and the patients' response to treatment. First aid was used in only 50% of patients with potentially‐lethal bites. All patients who developed severe envenomation showed symptoms within 30 minutes, and all patients survived. (Med J Aust 1989; 150: 695‐698)