52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The one book you really need foran expedition, January 26, 2000
I lead canoe trips in northern Canada for the Science Museum of Minnesota. Many of our expeditions take us above the Arctic Circle. I'm no expert in Wilderness Medicine--and that's why I rely on this book. Doc Forgey knows wild places: he has a fly-in cabin deep in Northern Manitoba. Forgey understands that "evacuation", per se, is often not an option in a genuine wilderness setting. This book clearly and quickly pinpoints solutions to problems and tells you how to deal with them. Forgey provides a host of medical options: you can choose sophisticated Rx medicines, or stick with over-the-counter stuff. "Doc" lays out all options and provides alternatives. A superb index provides fast reference to problems--and, this handy little book fits right in your backpack. It's worth every penny--and each new revision is more thorough than the last. I also heartily recommend Buck Tilton's excellent book, Medicine For The Backcountry. Get them both and you'll be covered for everything.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Contest with Nature, January 7, 2008
This review is from: Wilderness Medicine: Beyond First Aid (Paperback)
Living out in the wild, in the wilderness, is a contest with Nature. Most of the time, man wins the contest, but sometimes ... stuff happens.
Chapter One is about Assessment and starts with that key question: scene safe? Then Dr Forgey takes his reader through the ABCD's, vital signs, levels of consciousness, head to toe examination, shock, respiration rates, heart rates, and CPR. (The numbers for chest compressions and breaths has been changed by the AHA since Dr Forgey updated this book, but that is a minor issue.)
Chapter Two is about body system management. The focus of this chapter is on the systems in the head but the abdomen and reproductive system are given sections as well. There is also a very good, short section on poisoning from food poisoning to shellfish poisoning.
Chapter Three covers soft tissue wounds and treatments ... and suturing and stapling.
Chapter Four covers orthopedic injuries from head to foot.
Chapter Five covers bites and stings and anaphylactic shock. Interest-ingly Dr Forgey finds that rubber suction cups are as worthless as mouth suction. His lone endorsement is the Sawyer Extractor (which is available from Amazon.com).
Chapter Six is on infectious disease. Dr Forgey lists the most signif-icant *wilderness* diseases for North America and the world should one be contesting Nature abroad.
Chapter Seven's environmental injuries include hypothermia, heat stress, high altitude related illnesses, and ... being struck by lightning. Step current is caused when lightning hass struck and the current spreads out like a wave across the ground and the victim's feet are different distances from the strike point. Since the body has less resistance than the ground, a circuit is completed.
There are two useful appendices at the end of the book.
I am EMS certified and as a BLS instructor. I had a few quibbles with Dr Forgey such as his choice of prescription medications to list in one of the appendices. However I had no major disagreements and found the book to be more easily readable than any EMS book I have read. Lots of nuts and bolts and no fluff.
Also as I write this review, I am preparing a first aid segment for a TCLEOSE course on mantracking. Dr Forgey's book provided me with a lot of detail and anecdotes to include. However just as the title says this book is about wilderness medicine *beyond* first aid.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book but needs updated references, December 28, 2006
I have several outdoor medical and first aide books and this one is the best. It really approaches topics that other books avoid like what to do if you cannot get to a doctor or hospital. The suggested kits in the back are also the best I have found. I only have two negative comments:
1. The techniques and advice in the text could be cross referenced to the medical kits better.
2. The references for more information are old or not very good. The website for the book seems to be underconstruction for at least a year and the major suppliers only offer about half of the items suggested. Most of the hard to find items can be purchased at Amazon or Moore Medical.
The other book to consider for dealing with a lack of traditional medical care is "Where there is no Doctor" but that is geared towards running a clinic in the third world rather than hiking.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
