Author: Spencer Greene, MD

Spencer Greene, MD, MS, FACEP, FACMT is the Director of Medical Toxicology and an Assistant Professor in the Henry J.N. Taub Department of Emergency Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He directs the only medical toxicology service in Houston. Clinical interests include salicylates, anticonvulsant toxicity, physostigmine, alcohol withdrawal, and envenomations, and he consults on more than 100 bites and stings annually, including snakebites, spider bites, asp envenomations, and jellyfish stings. He serves as a consulting toxicologist for the Southeast Texas Poison Center and has directed the annual Houston Venom Conference since its creation in 2013. He was also the course director for the American College of Medical Toxicology's Natural Toxins Academy.

The Seriousness of a Copperhead Envenomation

A. contortrix © Lisa Powers/Froghaven Farm

You think you know about copperhead envenomations? Think again. Let me begin by saying I’m ethnocentric, and this article refers to the copperheads found in the United States. I’m not talking about the Australian copperheads of the Austrelaps genus. Taxonomy is always changing, which is sometimes a necessary nuisance and other times nothing more thanRead More

Coralsnake Envenomations

When most of you think of snakebites, you think of pit viper envenomation (or possibly the alcoholic beverage, which contains equal parts cider and lager – I’d totally like that!), and I get that. Nationally, 98% of snake envenomations are from the various pit vipers (rattlesnakes, water moccasins/cottonmouths, and copperheads). That said, coralsnakes are coolRead More

Snakebite Management (pre-hospital)

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a medical toxicologist and emergency physician at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. I have treated 600+ snakebites and direct one of the busiest snakebite services in the U.S. I also love snakes and consider myself a member of the herpetology community. And I want toRead More