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Medical References

3 min read

The core medical shelf is Where There Is No Doctor by David Werner, its companion Where There Is No Dentist by Murray Dickson, a military war-surgery manual, a comprehensive first-aid manual and a drug guide such as the Physician’s Desk Reference. If only one book is saved, make it Where There Is No Doctor, which was written for village health workers to diagnose and treat common illness and injury without laboratory tests or specialists.

Part of Tier 1: Books That Save Lives This Week

The medical shelf runs from village health care to military surgery, and none of it substitutes for training.

The Medical Shelf

  • Where There Is No Doctor (David Werner). Written for village health workers in developing countries. It covers common illnesses and injuries without lab tests, imaging or specialist referral, and is practical and illustrated.
  • Where There Is No Dentist (Murray Dickson). The companion volume. Dental abscesses, broken teeth and extraction are common and disabling; it covers pain, infection control and basic extraction.
  • Emergency War Surgery (NATO and Borden Institute). A military trauma surgery manual covering wounds, fractures, amputation, burns and anaesthesia in austere conditions. Written for physicians, though usable by careful lay readers. A free electronic version has been available from the Borden Institute, so print a copy while you can.
  • A comprehensive first-aid manual. Red Cross, St John Ambulance or a military combat medic manual. Even basic first-aid knowledge is rare.
  • A drug guide. The Physician’s Desk Reference or an equivalent, listing medications, uses, dosing, interactions and side effects. It helps interpret salvaged medicines, but identifying a drug by appearance alone is unreliable. See Medicine Cabinet Raid.
  • Wilderness Medicine (Auerbach). A large reference on care in wilderness and austere settings, from snakebite to improvised splints.

Method: Using A Medical Book

Step 1: Read it before the emergency. Know where things are in the book.

Step 2: Check the edition and the units. Dose tables can change between editions and differ in units; read the units twice.

Step 3: Match the book to the training. A surgical manual does not make the reader a surgeon.

Step 4: Practise the simple skills. See First Aid.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating a drug guide as a licence to dose. Doses depend on weight, age, kidney and liver function and other medicines.
  • Starting with the surgery manual. The village health text will solve more of the problems you actually have.
  • Leaving the dental book. Dental infection is common and can spread.

Safety

A manual is not a clinician

Amputation, extraction and surgery described in a book can be fatal when performed by someone who has not been trained. Use the least invasive option that works, and take a drug amount only from a reference you have checked against the label of the actual product.

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