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Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine
The Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. -, No. -, p. 1, 2017 Copyright Ó 2017 Elsevier Inc. Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. 0736-4679/$ - see front matter
Book and Other Media Review , AUERBACH’S WILDERNESS MEDICINE, 7TH EDITION. BY PAUL S. AUERBACH, TRACY A. CUSHING, AND N. STUART HARRIS. PHILADELPHIA, ELSEVIER INC. 2017, 2707 PAGES, 2-VOLUME SET, EXPERT CONSULT EBOOK, $209.
other topics. The most irritating thing about this edition is that once I start reading a chapter, chosen at random, I can’t stop. There is so much to learn here and every chapter seems to bring new and interesting facts and information on every subject even remotely related to the wilderness. For example, Global Crimes, Incarceration, and Quarantine would not seem like a topic found in a wilderness medicine textbook, but it can be found here and has valuable information on what to do at a roadblock or hostage situation. Ultrasound in the Wilderness is another chapter that I was surprised to see, but perhaps on long expeditions or with medical missions, this would be quite useful. I thought that the Wilderness Medicine Education chapter was very well done and useful for educating students in any venue. There is a 20-page chapter on Genomics in Wilderness medicine and an abundance of environmental biology and ecology throughout the text in every chapter. The variety and quality of the writing is outstanding and when possible evidence-based. The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book; color photographs, line drawings, radiographs, ultrasounds, graphs, and tables are all expertly produced and enhance the written text. There is the classic question, ‘‘What books would you take with you on a desert island?’’ Of course Plato, Shakespeare, and the Bible all make the cut, but if I wanted to survive, I would take this text. In fact, this might be the only medical textbook you would need anywhere in the world. In summary, Drs. Auerbach, Cushing, and Harris have brought to fruition an amazing collection of ‘‘something for everyone.’’ It is the best of the previous editions, and I recommend it for students, residents, nurses, medics, rescue personnel, teachers, scholars, and anyone interested in the wilderness, the environment, and how to survive on Earth and beyond (there is a chapter on Space Medicine: The Next Frontier). If you can only afford to buy one textbook this year, make it Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine.
After many years of writing book reviews and teaching, I have come to the conclusion that a ‘‘classic’’ textbook can be identified when you just say the name of the author. If I say Harrison, Cecil, Rosen, or Tintinalli, they immediately know what I am referring to. Auerbach’s original textbook published in 1983 was titled Management of Wilderness and Environmental Emergencies and was coedited by Edward Geehr. They were both recent emergency medicine residency graduates with an interest in education, and this landmark publication was the beginning of the specialty of wilderness medicine. They went on to found the Wilderness Medical Society and the ‘‘rest is history,’’ as they say. That first edition was 656 pages and had 33 contributors; this edition is 2700 pages and has 247 contributors from all over the world. Dr. Geehr assisted with the second edition, but Dr. Auerbach edited editions three through six alone, and with each edition getting larger, additional editors were added for the seventh edition. Both of the new editors are well accomplished experts in wilderness medicine and I’m sure ease the burden of Dr. Auerbach. A bonus addition is an original painting by Bruce Paton titled ‘‘Aiming High,’’ illustrating Dr. Auerbach’s preface. David Warrell’s 68-page chapter on venomous reptiles is an unbelievable collection of photographs, clinical information, and natural history, and where else can you pick up a textbook and learn about rodeo injuries, navigation, medical liability, bear behavior, volcanic eruptions, frostbite, foot problems, and every tropical disease in a single work? The text is divided into 17 parts and 126 chapters, with an appendix on drug stability and an extensive index. There is a collection of 41 videos associated with various chapters that better describe surviving cold water immersion, astronauts exercising aboard the International Space Station, and dental procedures, among
Edward J. Otten, MD, FACMT, FAWM Professor of Emergency and Pediatrics Director Division of Toxicology University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2017.01.016 1
Book and Other Media Review , AUERBACH’S WILDERNESS MEDICINE, 7TH EDITION. BY PAUL S. AUERBACH, TRACY A. CUSHING, AND N. STUART HARRIS. PHILADELPHIA, ELSEVIER INC. 2017, 2707 PAGES, 2-VOLUME SET, EXPERT CONSULT EBOOK, $209.
other topics. The most irritating thing about this edition is that once I start reading a chapter, chosen at random, I can’t stop. There is so much to learn here and every chapter seems to bring new and interesting facts and information on every subject even remotely related to the wilderness. For example, Global Crimes, Incarceration, and Quarantine would not seem like a topic found in a wilderness medicine textbook, but it can be found here and has valuable information on what to do at a roadblock or hostage situation. Ultrasound in the Wilderness is another chapter that I was surprised to see, but perhaps on long expeditions or with medical missions, this would be quite useful. I thought that the Wilderness Medicine Education chapter was very well done and useful for educating students in any venue. There is a 20-page chapter on Genomics in Wilderness medicine and an abundance of environmental biology and ecology throughout the text in every chapter. The variety and quality of the writing is outstanding and when possible evidence-based. The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book; color photographs, line drawings, radiographs, ultrasounds, graphs, and tables are all expertly produced and enhance the written text. There is the classic question, ‘‘What books would you take with you on a desert island?’’ Of course Plato, Shakespeare, and the Bible all make the cut, but if I wanted to survive, I would take this text. In fact, this might be the only medical textbook you would need anywhere in the world. In summary, Drs. Auerbach, Cushing, and Harris have brought to fruition an amazing collection of ‘‘something for everyone.’’ It is the best of the previous editions, and I recommend it for students, residents, nurses, medics, rescue personnel, teachers, scholars, and anyone interested in the wilderness, the environment, and how to survive on Earth and beyond (there is a chapter on Space Medicine: The Next Frontier). If you can only afford to buy one textbook this year, make it Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine.
After many years of writing book reviews and teaching, I have come to the conclusion that a ‘‘classic’’ textbook can be identified when you just say the name of the author. If I say Harrison, Cecil, Rosen, or Tintinalli, they immediately know what I am referring to. Auerbach’s original textbook published in 1983 was titled Management of Wilderness and Environmental Emergencies and was coedited by Edward Geehr. They were both recent emergency medicine residency graduates with an interest in education, and this landmark publication was the beginning of the specialty of wilderness medicine. They went on to found the Wilderness Medical Society and the ‘‘rest is history,’’ as they say. That first edition was 656 pages and had 33 contributors; this edition is 2700 pages and has 247 contributors from all over the world. Dr. Geehr assisted with the second edition, but Dr. Auerbach edited editions three through six alone, and with each edition getting larger, additional editors were added for the seventh edition. Both of the new editors are well accomplished experts in wilderness medicine and I’m sure ease the burden of Dr. Auerbach. A bonus addition is an original painting by Bruce Paton titled ‘‘Aiming High,’’ illustrating Dr. Auerbach’s preface. David Warrell’s 68-page chapter on venomous reptiles is an unbelievable collection of photographs, clinical information, and natural history, and where else can you pick up a textbook and learn about rodeo injuries, navigation, medical liability, bear behavior, volcanic eruptions, frostbite, foot problems, and every tropical disease in a single work? The text is divided into 17 parts and 126 chapters, with an appendix on drug stability and an extensive index. There is a collection of 41 videos associated with various chapters that better describe surviving cold water immersion, astronauts exercising aboard the International Space Station, and dental procedures, among
Edward J. Otten, MD, FACMT, FAWM Professor of Emergency and Pediatrics Director Division of Toxicology University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2017.01.016 1