Bove and Davis' Diving Medicine

After perusing the textbooks of diving medicine, this continues to be a gold standard in the literature. Readers should note it does not compete with the 2003 Bennett and Elliott's Physiology and Medicine of Diving. B & E is more a physiology of normal persons while diving and is geared to being as factually driven as possible. Bove focuses on medical issues and the physiology that makes it happen, with substantial discussion on diagnosis and treatment of diving illnesses and of ill people [Diabetics, Asthmatics etc.] who wish to dive. There is an amount of cross over between both text, but Bove's expert opinion approach fills the many gaps of facts in B & E. You MUST own both texts to cover the field in toto.Tip: You can read Bove very quickly by reading the last paragraph or sentence in each section, it summarizes the whole block of text very succinctly.I previously reviewed the 3rd Edition, just received the 4th, and after a cover to cover dissection must applaud its extensively updated chapters notably cardiology, decompression science, treatments and diagnoses, updated appendix on Diabetes mellitus and diving. More focus is made on hydrostatic pressure spikes in the reduction of bubble formation, data that although present in the 3rd Edition, did not get as much emphasis. The timeliness of the updates is in tune with the zeitgeist for bubble decompression models used in technical diving gaining momentum since Year 2000 [VPM and RGBM.]The quality of the book's hardbound production has diminished, as the rugged linen-type cover binding, extant in the past WB Saunders Editions, has been replaced by a glossy paper overlay on cardboard, reflecting a new philosophy of the books publishers, Elsevier, and of WB Saunders to a fading trademark. The print itself seems sharp, and appears more like a laser printer output on 'economy' mode. The cover binding is hastily pasted in my edition, compared to the meticulous tight binding, and near flawless lines of the 3rd Edition. There are over a 100 new pages in this edition. Bookmaking, a dying art!The editing is superb, near typo free, to this reviewer at this time, compare against typos present in 2003 B & E and the 2000 NOAA Diving Manual. Inconsequential, but reflects the rigor by which Dr. Bove put into crafting this textbook.

My favorite diving medicine textbook. If you like the no-nonsense format of the NOAA Diving Manual, Bove too, shoots from the hip. Bove is best in the hands of medical professionals, as brevity in some discussion presumes a background in medical care. Focusing on medical professionals may limit its audience, but astute readers anywhere may appreciate its directness, as a distillation, its strong spirit. Diving Medicine is a MUST for any physician treating civilian divers, and its format makes for quick reference for primary care gives who occassionally encounter divers with medical issues.

I read this book cover to cover before taking Medical Boards in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. I enjoyed the experience greatly, and passed the Boards. It is well-organized and easy to read if you have at least a diving background. I am a pulmonary and critical care specialist (and diver) and found it very straight-forward. I recommend reading this book in conjunction with the US Navy Diving Manual which is available through .... in print (but I prefer the CD ROM published by the Navy and others). We keep these references at our hyperbaric unit at UCLA where we have already done 4 Table VI treatments this week.

Fred Bove combines his background in physics, physiology, medicine (cardiology) and diving (US Navy) to produce as near definitive textbook of diving and undersea medicine as is possible.

Fred Bove, MD has extended the great tradition of his book published in 1990 in conjunction with Jeff Davis, MD who is no longer with us. In a pragmatic way the book rightly focuses in on the pathophysiology of areas important to the diver and those treating diving related illnesses. It answers most questions asked by divers and provides a wonderful resource for Diving physicians in caring for their patients. It stays on my desk by my computer and not a day goes by that it is not used in answering questions posed to me as an Online Diving Medicine doctor. I highly recommend it for your reference library.