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Wilderness Medicine
The definitive source for health care professionals dealing with wilderness and environmentally related illnesses and injuries, this guide provides specific therapeutic guidelines and reviews interactions between people and the environment.
1225 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 28, 2013
Wow. It took me four months, but I finally finished it! I made a point of trying to read 1% of the book a day (Kindle), and I found it fascinating.
I'm currently enrolled in a wilderness guide training program in Finland, and while this book is US oriented it's been extremely applicable.
I've been extremely focused on the medical aspects of wilderness recreation since 2007, and have found this book to flesh out much of the training I've received since then, as well as approach problems from a completely different angle.
Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of wilderness medicine, such as: avalanches, hyperbaric medicine, cold weather injuries (I had frostbite earlier this winter, and this book was my go-to reference in it's treatment), tropical rainforest trekking, legal aspects, and even an extremely detailed and informative chapter on aerospace medicine (The ISS is definitely considered "wilderness").
What I've been most impressed by with this book is that each chapter brings in different subject-area experts to each chapter, to the point where you begin to recognize different writing styles and approaches to problems (Gordon Giesbrecht being a prime example). This is the book that other outdoor writers use to check their medical facts (In 98.6, Cody Lundin was very clearly using Wilderness Medicine's chapter on solar protection as a framework for his own, in the highest form of flattery), and I've been extremely pleased with the accessibility of the work, and the attention to detail.
Some of the pharmacology is a bit above my understanding, and many of the techniques and procedures described are inadvisable/painfully illegal for a non-physician to perform, but I feel that having at least a knowledge of what's involved in procedures such as cricothyroidotomy, chest decompression, or IV fluid use is valuable. If only to help identify the need for definitive care.
There's a chapter on homeopathy, the presence of which confused me, as it seemed to run counter to the rest of the book's emphasis on evidence-based medicine; then again, it's a large book, and the related chapter on medicinal plants was interesting.
This is a book I very much recommend getting a hold of, the sheer range of topics covered makes it applicable to most any situation you'd find yourself in. Just be sure to read it beforehand.
PS For Mr. Lundin to note, 98.6 was used as a major reference in Wilderness Medicine's survival chapter, so it's probably all cool.
I'm currently enrolled in a wilderness guide training program in Finland, and while this book is US oriented it's been extremely applicable.
I've been extremely focused on the medical aspects of wilderness recreation since 2007, and have found this book to flesh out much of the training I've received since then, as well as approach problems from a completely different angle.
Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of wilderness medicine, such as: avalanches, hyperbaric medicine, cold weather injuries (I had frostbite earlier this winter, and this book was my go-to reference in it's treatment), tropical rainforest trekking, legal aspects, and even an extremely detailed and informative chapter on aerospace medicine (The ISS is definitely considered "wilderness").
What I've been most impressed by with this book is that each chapter brings in different subject-area experts to each chapter, to the point where you begin to recognize different writing styles and approaches to problems (Gordon Giesbrecht being a prime example). This is the book that other outdoor writers use to check their medical facts (In 98.6, Cody Lundin was very clearly using Wilderness Medicine's chapter on solar protection as a framework for his own, in the highest form of flattery), and I've been extremely pleased with the accessibility of the work, and the attention to detail.
Some of the pharmacology is a bit above my understanding, and many of the techniques and procedures described are inadvisable/painfully illegal for a non-physician to perform, but I feel that having at least a knowledge of what's involved in procedures such as cricothyroidotomy, chest decompression, or IV fluid use is valuable. If only to help identify the need for definitive care.
There's a chapter on homeopathy, the presence of which confused me, as it seemed to run counter to the rest of the book's emphasis on evidence-based medicine; then again, it's a large book, and the related chapter on medicinal plants was interesting.
This is a book I very much recommend getting a hold of, the sheer range of topics covered makes it applicable to most any situation you'd find yourself in. Just be sure to read it beforehand.
PS For Mr. Lundin to note, 98.6 was used as a major reference in Wilderness Medicine's survival chapter, so it's probably all cool.
February 20, 2018
I bought this while doing a wilderness medicine paper for my Travel Medicine diploma in 2016, read about 40% of it, and have kept it open as the completist in me felt I should read the rest of it before declaring it finished. However, getting back to reading general fiction after 18 months of intense study was so wonderful that I haven’t found the motivation to do so. Going back to it now, (Feb 2018) in preparation for giving a talk to my kayaking group on hypothermia, I’m reminded just how comprehensive and broad-ranging it is, but so long! The hardback edition is enormous and only really practical for the library (I watched an interview last year with the kiwi doctor on one of the Antarctic bases, and was pleased to see it on the shelf behind him) whereas the ebook will remain on my iPad kindle forever.
I don’t actually practice in this area, so only the TM aspects are relevant to me now, I just find it all really interesting, but realistically I am unlikely to find the time for the remaining chapters any time soon, so am marking it as read so I can get it off my page, but will keep it there for reference. It was expensive but to me, worth every $.
I don’t actually practice in this area, so only the TM aspects are relevant to me now, I just find it all really interesting, but realistically I am unlikely to find the time for the remaining chapters any time soon, so am marking it as read so I can get it off my page, but will keep it there for reference. It was expensive but to me, worth every $.
January 24, 2008
Outstanding medical text for outdoor enthusiasts
January 27, 2013
A great book for those who have an entire medical dispensary on hand in a wilderness survival situation. Otherwise, good for little or nothing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews