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Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness

Medicine
Article in Journal of Travel Medicine March 2009
DOI: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.2008.00297.x

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228

BOOK REVIEW

Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine

Chris Johnson, Sarah R. Anderson, Jon Dallimore, Shane Winser, and David A. Warrell
DOI: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.2008.00297.x

710 pp, RRP USD59.95, Flexicover, ISBN 978019

9296613, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Expeditions provide an opportunity for travelers to
undertake various specialized travel to more adventurous
wilderness and extreme destinations in the relative security of an expeditionary group, usually with medical
cover, which is often provided by an expedition physician. Apart from major expeditionary organizations, such
as the Royal Geographical Society, who have traditionally contributed guidelines in this area,1 there have been
few textbooks published on expedition and wilderness
medicine. This rst edition of the Oxford Handbook of
Expedition and Wilderness Medicine, the 40th installment
of the popular and respected Oxford Handbook series, is
a major step forward in lling this gap.
The Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine has a preface, a foreword, a dedication to Dr Bent Einer
Juel-Jensen, a table of contents, a table of detailed contents,
a list of reviewers, a list of the 61 contributors, a list of symbols and abbreviations, 23 chapters, and a comprehensive
index. It also includes numerous tables/gures and 12
color plates of common spot diagnoses. As is usual in this
series, the handbook is compact and has a durable plastic
exicover. The back cover has a list of the major chapters
in the book, although it would be useful to include the
starting page reference. It may be useful to make use of the
inside front cover, as has been done in other Oxford Handbooks, by listing, eg, major emergencies and the page references to nd information to manage them. The handbook
incorporates two trademark bookmark ribbons of different colors. The ve editors, all from the UK, are well
known in the eld of expedition and wilderness medicine
and related areas. Only 4 of the 61 contributors appear to
reside outside the UK; however, they include a broad range
of professionals with wide experience.
Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine
is intended as a practical and portable guide to the
Reviewed by: Peter A. Leggat, MD, PhD, DrPH, FFTM
ACTM, FFTM RCPSG, FRGS, Professor and Head, School of
Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences,
James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
2009 International Society of Travel Medicine, 1195-1982
Journal of Travel Medicine 2009; Volume 16 (Issue 3): 228

prevention and treatment of those medical problems

most likely to be encountered in extreme and remote environments. It is well researched and concise as well
as consistent in its presentation. Chapters include
Expedition Medicine, Preparations, Food, Water
and Hygiene, Crisis Management, EmergenciesDiagnosis, Emergencies-Trauma, EmergenciesSerious Illness and Collapse, Skin, Head and Neck,
Remote Emergency Dentistry for Doctors, Chest,
Abdomen, Limbs and Back, Infectious Diseases,
Psychological and Psychiatric Problems, Risks from
Animals, Plants and Fungi, Anaesthesia in Remote
Locations, Cold Climates, Mountains and High Altitude, Rivers, Lakes, and Oceans, Caving Expeditions,
and Hot Environments-Deserts and Tropical Forests.
It is curious that an appendix was not included providing
some of the Web sites of peak organizations that deal with
expedition medicine, although there are links and additional information provided around specic topics, such
as on malaria in chapter 14.
The Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness
Medicine is not a substitute for training and experience in
expedition medicine. It is also not an academic reference
providing detailed references for evidence-based practice
or a discussion of the development of the expedition medicine specialty. The handbook does, however, provide an
exceptionally useful and comprehensive, descriptive, and
clinical reference on virtually every aspect of expedition
medicine for the informed health professional, particularly those who are working or will be working professionally in expedition medicine. The book will also appeal
to travel health advisors and other health professionals, as
well as students and academics, who have an interest in
expedition medicine. The Oxford Handbook of Expedition
and Wilderness Medicine has little competition in the eld
and is sure to become a popular reference in the eld.
Reference
1. Royal Geographical Society. Expedition medicine.
Available at: http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Publications/EAC+publications/Expedition+medicine/
Expedition+Medicine.htm. (Accessed 2008 Nov 30)