_ by Tai Samyone

For a scientist who grew up with a fascination for dinosaur fossils and wrangling venomous serpents, a field trip to Burma was a must - only to find that to get anywhere he had to grapple with bureaucratic dinosaurs and greedy corrupt serpents of the human variety.

The Snake Charmer by Jamie James gives us both in his absorbing biography of US snake expert Dr. Joe Slowinski.  I read the book over a weekend and immediately found myself confronting my own attitudes to snakes and science; I’m with Indiana Jones in my dislike of snakes; Joe Slowinski was happiest when he was in the raw danger of catching venomous snakes in the jungle.

The book is in two parts; a biography of Joe Slowinski from the young child looking under rocks for snakes and looking at rocks for signs of dinosaur fossils, through university education and on to become an accomplished research scientist preparing academic papers on theoretical aspects of Darwinian evolutionary theory, and conducting field trips in the Americas and from 1997 to 2001 in Burma.  The second part of the book concentrates on a detailed account of his last trip from Putao heading towards the Hkakabo Razi national forest reserve in northern Kachin state.

The book’s first half intersperses details of Joe’s life with anecdotes about field herpetologists (snake academics) and descriptions of the biology of snakes in a very accessible way; to give us the background we need for the second part of the book - to follow the heart-stopping pace and the difficulties that Joe faced when he was bitten by a ten inch long many-banded krait; one of the most venomous snakes in the world; in one of the remotest parts of northern Burma - 3 hours march from the nearest army base to call up help; as foreigners they hadn’t been allowed to take two-way radios which would normally be classed as essential for helping to deal with such emergencies!

While Joe’s teammates continued giving him artificial respiration for 24 hours after the venom causes total paralysis, the US embassy staff in Yangon work desperately to gain permission for an army helicopter to pick up Joe and bring him Myitkyina and for a medivac plane from Singapore to land there and treat him; this extraordinary feat takes a senior US embassy official banging on the Ministry of Defence building with a tyre lever to get access to an appropriately high enough general to get permission for the army commander in Putao!

Other reviewers of the book seem to fall into the same pattern as Joe’s colleagues; those who celebrate his considerable academic and practical scientific achievements and his fun for life; and those who criticise his maverick attitudes and lack of judgement in disobeying the rules.  Given his positive achievements in the field of evolutionary theory and his work in identifying previously unknown species of snakes, it isn’t difficult for me to find myself agreeing with the first category.  Joe Slowinski’s contribution to the field of science was felt greatly in Burma; he worked with the Forest Ministry to help establish a natural park reserve, he organised and ran training courses for Burma’s young scientists bringing together numerous world-class experts to give tuition, and during his numerous visits helped to establish a pattern of field work in exploring the fauna and flora of Burma; much of which still remains totally unknown to the world’s scientific community.

Jamie James brings us a flowing vivid account which informs us about a man whose tireless energy inspired his colleagues and all those who worked with him in Burma; it informs us about the world of snake science and the work to understand and preserve the natural habitat of the world’s increasingly threatened wildlife species; it also informs us, albeit by inference, about the chronic state of health provision and incompetence in government hierarchies in Burma.

Snake Charmer, The: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge

Jamie James

Hyperion Books / 2008

www.snakecharmerbook.com

Amazon Product Description

Joe Slowinski is in the forefront of the herpetology field, and he has woken one morning with a hangover. He puts his hand in a bag of snakes, feels a bite on his finger and, in that moment, knows his life is over. He’s been bitten by a krait, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. The Snake Catcher is the story of Joe Slowinski, celebrated scientist and explorer. His career was fast and exciting and his last tragic expedition is a pulse-pounding struggle between man and nature. Here, Jamie James captures perfectly the life of a nature trailblazer.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Snake-Charmer-Death-Pursuit-Knowledge/dp/1401302130