Medicine for the Outdoors: The Essential Guide to Emergency Medical Procedures and First Aid

by Paul S. Auerbach

Since 1986, Medicine for the Outdoors has been acknowledged as the most comprehensive and accessible treatment guide available for just about every problem you are likely to encounter in the outdoors. Now, filled with more than 250 illustrations, and completely updated and expanded, this book continues to be the bible for anyone heading into the wilderness. (6 X 9, 512 pages, illustrations, diagrams, charts)

Genres: Nonfiction, Survival, Medical, Reference, Medicine, Outdoors, Health

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Travis Blanton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone who's read this book should be at least somewhat familiar with Dr. Auerbach - he has tons of literature published about emergency medical intervention - planes, trains, cars, woods, etc. Really fascinating guy.

So, I expected this text would be pretty interesting and it didn't disappoint. It was interesting but it wasn't what I was expecting.

Let me give it to you like this.

In the text, Auerbach talks about how to treat a poisonous spider bite. As someone who is medically competent, I know that venom of any kind works in a similar fashion - venom is inflammatory, cutting off the blood supply and destroying that tissue. This begins necrotic activity. Obviously, slowing this process by applying ice and getting them to a hospital asap is a good idea - one that Auerbach recommends in this text. If you were really in a wilderness situation though, show me where you would get ice and also be able to get a helicopter to come evacuate you. Perhaps you packed a really awesome first aid kit that had instant cold packs and GPS locater.

The reality is that you probably won't have these things. Auerbach should have talked about lancing and irrigating the puncture site and the excision of necrotic tissue + infection control. This book really deserved to be written from the POV that you were the only medically competent person within a 50-mile radius that could provide assistance. If that is what you're looking for then don't bother reading this book.

In fact, if you find a text that is written like that, I fully encourage you to send me the title.

[surfurbian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the original 1986 edition cover to cover. Purchased the 5th edition based on that reading. expected some updates and a new cover. I was happy to see a great deal of information had been added (suture techniques, proper tourniquet use, and so on) along with many updates. Definitely recommend the 5th edition over the original.

[surfurbian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information here about triage, management of minor and major injuries, good section on poisonous plants/animals, animal injuries, extrication of injured persons and so on. Strong and fair caution against the use of tourniquets and closing wounds in the wilderness environment. Great foundational information.

No mention of blood-borne pathogens. I expect that this was due to the timing of the 1986 publication and that the manuscript had been prepared before the HIV epidemic in the early 1980s. I expect more recent editions address this issue.

Also related to the date of publication, there is no mention of the use of AEDs, more recently developed medications for common ailments like seasonal allergies and topical antibiotics for minor wounds.


I have ordered the most recent edition for my home library and I expect to find many of the aforementioned criticisms to have been addressed.

[Ann]

Medicine for the Outdoors by Auerbach @2009, ISBN: 9780323068130, PB, eBay $23.00