Scorpions of Medical Importance
by Hugh L. Keegan

This publication is an account of the distribution, morphology, biology and classification of those scorpions considered to be of medical importance. The book also contains information on the clinical aspects of scorpion envenomation, and on methods for scorpion control. Though the scope of the book is clearly delineated by its title, Scorpions of Medical Importance, Professor Keegan does consider those genera and species of scorpions that are not of medical importance, but commonly occur in association with man, and are often greatly feared. He has done so because of the scorpion's potential as a stimulus for entomophobia. While this fear, created in part by folklore, dramatic but inaccurate literature, and television and motion picture sequences, is useful in areas where dangerously venomous scorpions exist, it has also created much needless apprehension. It will surely be a revelation to many readers that of the approximately 800 species that have been described, only about 50 have been reported as being dangerous to man. A valuable feature of Scorpions of Medical Importance is the outstanding drawings that have been used to illustrate the species. It is not often that one comes across drawings so striking in their precision and attention to even the most minute details. As one of the very few books dealing solely with the general subject of scorpions of medical importance, this publication should be a useful reference for all those interested in the distribution, biology, and control of dangerously venomous scorpions, and in clinical aspects of scorpion envenomation. The book contains an index, bibliography, and pertinent references to related species not discussed in the book.

Hugh L. Keegan was a professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS. Prior to that, Professor Keegan had been a career officer in the United States Army. His military duties gave him the opportunity to travel extensively in East and Southeast Asia and South America. Professor Keegan is an internationally recognized authority on the distribution of venomous species and on the effectiveness of antivenins for the treatment of bites and stings by venomous reptiles and arachnids.