Spider bites and risky remedies: the case of Corsica
Warning: this article shows some images of medically significant animals near human hands. These animals were not being handled, and this is not something I encourage or condone. Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean sea, between the coasts of France and Italy. Ask any of its inhabitants, and they'll tell you it's the most beautiful place on Earth. Sure, islanders all over the world will often claim the same about their island, but it's hard to deny that Corsica is absolutely gorgeous: majestic mountains plunging into the azure sea, heavenly beaches and coves, sand dunes covered in wild flowers, snow-capped peaks shining under the blue sky, their slopes dotted with picturesque little villages... It is also a place blessed with an extreme scarcity of dangerous land animals. It doesn't have any venomous snakes or medically significant scorpions. Mosquito-borne yellow fever and malaria used to take their toll on Corsicans unlucky enough to work and live in swampy ...