The Brown Recluse Spider

by Richard S. Vetter

The brown recluse is a fascinating spider very well adapted to dwelling in houses and other buildings. Because of this very quality and the ghastly reputation associated with the medical consequences of its bite, it has become infamous throughout North America. Although recluse spiders can cause serious skin injuries and, in very rare cases, death, the danger posed by this spider is often exaggerated as a result of arachnophobia and the misdiagnosis of non-spider-related conditions as brown recluse bites. These misdiagnoses often occur in areas of North America where the spider does not exist, making legitimate bites improbable. One of the greatest factors that keeps the myths alive is misidentification of common (and harmless) spiders as brown recluses. With this book, Richard S. Vetter hopes to educate readers regarding the biology of the spider and medical aspects of its bites, to reduce the incidence of misdiagnoses, and to quell misplaced anxiety.

In The Brown Recluse Spider, Vetter covers topics such as taxonomy, identification, misidentification, life history characteristics and biology, medical aspects of envenomations, medical conditions misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites, other spider species of medical consideration (several of which have been wrongly implicated as threats to human health), and the psychology behind the entrenched reasons why people believe so deeply in the presence of the spider in the face of strong, contradictory information. Vetter also makes recommendations for control of the spider for households in areas where the spiders are found and describes other species of recluse spiders in North America. Although The Brown Recluse Spider was written for a general audience, it is also a valuable source of information for arachnologists and medical personnel.

Genres: Science

197 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2015

Reviews

[Sam]

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

[Lloyd Cripe]

Book helpful with bite

Very informative. Well written. I found it useful in understanding my personal encounter with a Brown Recluse Spider in an outside firewood stack. Got bite on right upper foot. Didn't know it for about 2 hours. Then pain set in. Foot was swollen by next morning and quite painful. Had chills,fever,nausea and vomited once about 12 hours post bite. Foot swelling with red coloration and blue/purple areas in 2 bite areas. This book guided me through this. I am now 8 days per bite now with mainly soreness but no acute pain. Less swelling. I seem to be having a good recovery. I did not seek medical heip. The book was my guide.

[Judy Tarver]

The brown recluse is one of the few medically significant spiders in the world and there is a lot of misinformation out there about it. This book is well written and well researched. It explains common myths and then represents the facts with research, studies and statistics. I highly recommend this book. If anyone ever wants to know just about everything there is to know about this species, this is the go to book to find out information!

[Tracy Walther]

I love how Dr. Vetter carefully lays out all the known information about the brown recluse and its bites. He thoughtfully debunks all the common myths about these spiders and provides helpful information about other common spiders of the US.

[Dan Pompili]

Excellent. Achieves its mission perfectly.

It's a very quick and easy read, and very informative. The kind of knowledge that eliminates fear. This book is perfect.

[Karly Kimerer]

i did it! very informative but did not particularly care for the mansplaining of sticky traps towards the end.