Life, Love, and Reptiles: An Autobiography of Sherman A. Minton, Jr., M.D

In this book, Minton shares some of his many experiences, from being on a navy ship when it was hit by a Kamikaze plane, to diving with sea snakes in the South Pacific; chasing geckos in the Sind Desert and treating people with tropical diseases in Central America. This is a modest account of the full and exciting life of this gifted man, a physician; father of modern Indiana herpetology; expert in toxinology, sea snakes, and snake bite; and devoted husband and father. The life and career of this unusual man were fascinating. Growing up in New Albany, a small town in his beloved southern Indiana, he decided to become a herpetologist. His father, a U.S. Senator, disapproved of his career choice and gave his son the option of becoming a lawyer or a medical doctor-Minton chose the latter. Throughout all of his travels, Minton collected information about amphibians and reptiles, and published more than 150 herpetological papers and books. Two popular books, Venomous Reptiles and Giant Reptiles, coauthored by his wife and lifelong assistant, Madge Rutherford Minton, have been staples for the younger generation of herpetologists. He also wrote A Contribution to the Herpetology of West Pakistan, which remains the most definitive book on the subject to date.