ABSTRACT
The study of coelenterate envenomation is a relatively new and emerging scientific and medical frontier. The subject is gathering scientific momentum, is internationally based, and an appreciation is dawning of the major and continuous morbidity associated worldwide with coelenterate injuries. Halstead has reviewed the toxicology, pharmacology and chemistry of coelenterate venoms. While an impressive array of biologically active compounds have been isolated from coelenterates, including vasoactive amines, prostaglandins and carboxylic acids, many of the venoms are labile mixtures of toxic and/or antigenic polypeptides, proteins and enzymes pathogenic to humans. Safe and effective antivenom administration for coelenterate injuries follows the same principles as for any other foreign protein antivenom usage. The speed of some of the serious effects of coelenterate envenomations, together with the immediate and sometimes savage pain, conflicts with the remote places where they may occur and the quick availability of skilled medical assistance.
