�������t¶��

Ruth May’s fever shot up to a hundred and five, Adah got stung on the foot by a scorpion spider and had to soak it in cold water, and a mongoose got in the chicken house and ate some eggs, all on the same day: my birthday!

Beyond viruses, a large, organized consortium could find antibodies against neglected problems — such as those caused by the complex array of toxins in scorpion, spider and snake venom.

But I draw the line at holding the scorpion spider that my guide, Alex Guzman, offers me.

A scorpion spider is related to both spiders and scorpions, but is its own thing, which Alex assures me is not venomous.

But when you have a small cave — which the one home to that scorpion spider is by Belizean standards — in the middle of more than 50,000 privately owned acres, access is an issue.