This comprehensive and excellent 246 page paperback is in it’s fifth edition. It is written by William Forgey, MD, former president of the Wilderness Medicine Society.
As the title suggests, it goes beyond first aid, dealing with situations where you cannot merely administer initial care and then count on a rapid evacuation. Forgey writes with a light hand; he avoids jargon and has a dry sense of humor. For example (p. 157): "How do you calm a person who’s just been bitten by a snake? Not surprisingly, just telling him to remain calm won’t work."
There are seven chapters, beginning with assessment and stabilization, and going through body system disease symptoms, injuries, bites and stings, infectious diseases, and environmental injuries. There is an excellent appendix for putting together wilderness first aid/medical kits, both with prescription, and non-prescription meds, and with a bandaging module.
You don’t have to be physician, nurse, or EMT to benefit from the book. All the information, is practical and hands-on; of value to the layperson who is interested in first aid and emergancy medical situations. After an initial reading, Wilderness Medicine is a fine reference work.
A related website is: www.wildernessmedicine.com.
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