Medicine for Mountaineering
by James A Wilkerson

Our Price: $12.93
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Summary of Medicine for Mountaineering

-- Includes a new chapter on common medical disorders at altitude, by Peter Hackett, Tom Hornbein, and Brownie Shoene

-- Offers more thorough coverage than basic first-aid manuals

A classic since 1967, Medicine for Mountaineering starts where first-aid manuals stop. Written and edited by ten climber-physicians who specialize in various fields of medicine, this fully updated edition offers expert information on preventing, diagnosing, and treating major and minor medical emergencies in the backcountry.

Ten M.D.s with a fondness for wilderness outings contributed to the chapters, and it shows: medical jargon abounds. But don't be intimidated by words like thrombophlebitis or pneumothorax--you might need to know how to treat blood clots in the legs or a ruptured lung. Most of the injuries covered have their origin in high-altitude mishaps, whether it be kidney infections from dehydration or blunt head trauma from falling rocks. Other ailments like appendicitis and heart disorders are less common, but if they strike in the backcountry, it's vital to know what to do. The range of medical advice stretches all the way to administering intravenous drips and performing tube thoracostomies (inserting a drain valve into a patient's fluid-filled lungs). Though the authors warn that such procedures should be performed by a trained physician, if it's a life-and-death situation miles from any hospital, these instructions could make all the difference. Other topics covered include: soft-tissue injuries, fractures, burns, gastrointestinal disorders, neural disorders, infections, allergies, heat and solar injuries, animal bites and stings, and cold injuries. A list of useful prescription drugs for mountaineering is also valuable.

Who could benefit from this book? Anyone venturing into the outdoors, but particularly those bound for remote locations who've already mastered basic first aid. Emergency medical technicians will find some of the topics familiar, but even they won't be expert in all the injuries outlined here. At 20 ounces, Medicine for Mountaineering is worth the extra weight in your pack. --Demian McLean

Safety & First Aid Books

• Subjects > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Safety & First Aid
• Sports & Outdoors > Mountaineering > Mountain Climbing