Introduction This text arose from the need to develop a national training course in the clinical management of snakebite for Papua New Guinea's many rural health workers and doctors. The inaugural PNG Snakebite Management Course was run at the University of Papua New Guinea School of Medicine & Health Sciences in September 2004 by a volunteer faculty comprising experts in snakebite and emergency medicine from Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. This handbook was produced to provide participants with a comprehensive reference that could be available beyond the duration of the training course.