Emergency War Surgery

This book is not written for the laymen, it is more an advanced primer for doctors/surgeons working in a war environment. The chapters are well organized along the types of injuries one would see from the violence of warfare. The information is presented in a concise, clear writing but this book must be supplemented with a background or understanding of medical terminology. It is definitely worth having on one's bookshelf if only to have an appreciation of how serious injuries can be treated and how much more serious they can progress without knowledgeable treatment.

This handbook to help in critical situations is just great. I hope never to need it but am truly grateful that I have it!

Just get it. Also get a PDR, a Moseby, and a greys student version. Understand what doctors tell you, know why they give you the drugs they do, and know enough to save a life. Pretty simple.

The new title should be: "The Survivalist's Medical Desk Reference". Arterial surgery in the field? Bullet extraction? Dosage? You got it.

While this is certainly not a manual that would stand alone in most persons emergency/disaster library, it is an absolutely necessary resource if you expect to handle any type of trauma where immediate comprehensive medical care is not available. This is not a "first aid" manual written for the lay person. Without some background in basic medical terms, body systems, etc.and other written resources (Dorland's, any basic A & P book, a Gray's Anatomy,Introduction to Surgery, Mosby's Paramedic manual etc) most people would be lost merely with the terminology. HOWEVER - as the "next step" in real trauma emergency care, along with a field surgical kit, this guide is INDISPENSIBLE. if you wish to splint a broken extremity, any first aid manual will do. If you must SET a fractured bone, because medical care is non existent, this is the book to have. Like wise the care for severe lacerations and GSW's (gunshot wounds). If all you have the stomach for is a field dressing and direct pressure, dont bother buying this book - you will lose your patient anyway. If you truly want to intervene at several levels of care higher - this will help get you there. Start your library with the above basic references and add (IMO) US Army Medical Manual, Signs and Symptoms in Emergency Medicine (Davis) and Handbook of Current Diagnosis and Treatment (Wolliscroft). Then READ THEM and read them AGAIN.