Definition

We define searches as using our database search functions. The range and level of searches is far greater for subscribers than non-subscribers.

How to search

You must decide what type of search you require, based on the type of information you seek. If you are looking for information on a particular type of organism (animal, plant or mushroom) you must first pick the right section to search, based on the type of organism. The following table lists your choices in broad terms.

Having decided on the type of organism and entered the search menu(s) for that group, you will then be required to choose some search criteria. Non-subscribers can only search on Common Name (correct spelling please), Family, Genus, Species (all of these are from drop-down lists, so you just choose - no chance of misspelling!), and Country (another drop down list). They can also search on Region, but be careful using this, because region data is encoded in such a way that each organism record can only be listed in a single region or region group.

As an example, if you search for snakes in Australia, using the Region Australia, you will only get a list of those species found ONLY in Australia, not those also found in New Guinea or beyond. Thus the Region can act as a filter, but be aware of this potential to limit search results. In general, if you want a listing for a particular country, use The Country search field, not the Region field.

Subscribers have far more search choices. For each venomous animal group (Snakes, Spiders, Scorpions, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Terrestrial Invertebrates, Marine Vertebrates, Marine Invertebrates), it is possible to search in Taxonomy, Clinical Effects, Medical Treatment and Venom. There is also direct access to the Antivenom search page, plus static pages, via Overview.

Subscriber - Taxonomy Search

This allows searching on all the usual parameters listed earlier for non-subscribers (Common Name, Family, Genus, Species, Country, Region), but in addition it is possible to search on Distribution (some records list intra-country distribution) and other taxonomic features, such as Anals (scales) in snakes. Length is often listed, but this should be used with caution, because only the average adult length is listed for each record. Once search criteria are selected and the Search button pressed, the database engine will return a list of one or more records matching the search criteria (or no records if there is no match). You then select a record, which will be displayed at the Taxonomy page. You can jump between pages within this record (General Details [= Non-Subscriber level information]; Taxonomy & Biology; Venom; Clinical Effects; Treatment; First Aid; Antivenoms).

Subscriber - Clinical Effects Search

This allows searching only on the general criteria available for all searches. It does not allow a diagnostic search; this is available from the Medical Treatment search page. Once search criteria are selected and the Search button pressed, the database engine will return a list of one or more records matching the search criteria (or no records if there is no match). You then select a record, which will be displayed at the Clinical Effects page. You can jump between pages within this record (General Details [= Non-Subscriber level information]; Taxonomy & Biology; Venom; Clinical Effects; Treatment; First Aid; Antivenoms).

Subscriber - Medical Treatment Search

This allows searching on the general criteria available for all searches, plus a whole range of clinical effects. For snakes there are also laboratory findings as search criteria. For each search criteria field, you should only select a choice (other than "Not selected", which is the default), if your "patient" actually has positive findings. DO NOT select negative findings, because it may be that your "patient" has not yet displayed those clinical effects. In most cases it will only be appropriate to select a few, carefully chosen, search criteria. If the type of organism is not known, other than it's broad classification (eg snake, or spider etc), it may help if you also use Country in your selection criteria, assuming the organism is from the selected country. Once search criteria are selected and the Search button pressed, the database engine will return a list of one or more records matching the search criteria (or no records if there is no match). You then select a record, which will be displayed at the Treatment page. You can jump between pages within this record (General Details [= Non-Subscriber level information]; Taxonomy & Biology; Venom; Clinical Effects; Treatment; First Aid; Antivenoms).

Subscriber - Venom Search

This allows searching on the general criteria for all searches, plus Venom Activity (drop-down list) and Venom Components (free text). If you are looking for a particular named venom component, such as "Notexin" (from tiger snake venom), type this name (correct spelling please) in the Venom Components field. Once search criteria are selected and the Search button pressed, the database engine will return a list of one or more records matching the search criteria (or no records if there is no match). You then select a record, which will be displayed at the Venom page. You can jump between pages within this record (General Details [= Non-Subscriber level information]; Taxonomy & Biology; Venom; Clinical Effects; Treatment; First Aid; Antivenoms).

Subscriber - Antivenom Search

This is discussed in detail in the static pages listed under "Antivenoms", "Overview". Basically, whether searching from within an organism group, or directly from the antivenoms section, the search page and criteria are the same, allowing search on Antivenom Name, Source Species, Coverage Species, Manufacturer and Country.

First Aid Search

First aid appropriate for each organism is listed on the pages for that organism, but you can also search for first aid for a group of similar organisms (eg cone snails, or colubrid snakes).