This is the most practical, concise guide to medical practice in extreme and remote environments. With an increase in visits to remote and dangerous locations around the world, the number of serious and fatal injuries and illnesses associated with these expeditions has markedly increased. Medical personnel working in or near such locations are not always explicitly trained in the management of unique environmental injuries, including high-altitude sickness, the bends, lightning strikes, frostbite, acute dehydration, venomous stings and bites, and tropical diseases.
Many health care professionals seek training in the specialty of wilderness medicine to cope with the health risks faced when far removed from professional care resources, and the American College of Emergency Medicine has recently mandated that a minimum level of proficiency needs to be exhibited by all ER physicians in this discipline. This book covers everything a prospective field physician or medical consultant needs to prepare for when beginning an expedition and explains how to treat a variety of conditions in a concise, clinically oriented format.

The fourth edition of this important book, which includes additional color illustrations, has been extensively revised, updated, and expanded to reflect the most recent developments. These include advances in patch testing methodology, in particular the new chambers that are appearing on the market, revision of the baseline series of patch tests to reflect the latest evidence-based work, and additional testing procedures. Other additions include sections on key allergens and concentrations, with the result is a superb guide to the current management of positive and negative patch test and prick test reactions that will be invaluable for all practicing dermatologists, from the beginner to the well-trained expert. The fourth edition continues the tradition of partnering with the ICDRG (International Contact Dermatitis Research Group). The ICDRG was formed in 1966 to promote the understanding of contact dermatitis. It has had major roles in the standardization of patch testing and the facilitation of regular scientific meetings, for over forty years and thirty five years respectively. It has also been involved in the authorship of a number of publications on contact dermatitis. Both Drs. Maibach and Lachapelle are members and the ICDRG is now comprised of representatives from all over the world, and currently includes members from Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, USA, Germany, Singapore, Korea, India, Japan, Canada, Uruguay and Australia. From the reviews of the previous editions:"The aim is to balance brevity and clarity with sufficient details for beginners in the field of diagnostic patch and prick testing. ... the book also will be of use to dermatology residents or anyone wishing to gain better knowledge of contact dermatitis. ... There are many high-quality photographs and useful algorithms and tables. ... It is clearly and concisely written and will serve as an indispensable guide for any dermatologist interested in contact dermatitis." (Renata H. Mullen, Doody's Review Service, August, 2009)

In its first edition, Principles of Clinical Medicine for Space Flight established itself as the authoritative reference on the contemporary knowledge base of space medicine and standards of care for space flyers. It received excellent notices and is used in the curricula of civilian and military training programs and used as a source of questions for the Aerospace Medicine Certifying Examination under the American Board of Preventive Medicine. In the intervening few years, the continuous manning of the International Space Station has both strengthened existing knowledge and uncovered new and significant phenomena related to the human in space. The Second Edition incorporates this information. Gaps in the first edition will be addressed with the addition new and revised chapters. This edition is extensively peer reviewed and represents the most up to date knowledge.

Environmental Chemicals Desk Reference is a concise version of the widely read Agrochemicals Desk Reference and Groundwater Chemicals Desk Reference. This up-to-date volume was inspired by the need for a combination of the material in both references, together with the large number of research publications and the continued interest in the fate, transport, and remediation of hazardous substances. Much new data has been added to this unique edition, including global legislation (REACH) and sustainability, thereby reflecting the wealth of literature in the field. Featured are environmental and physical/chemical data on more than 200 compounds, including pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

The health-related effects of asbestos have long been mired in controversy, with industry and plaintiff attorneys playing a significant role. This comprehensive book provides a balanced and extensive evidence-based critical analysis of the literature concerning asbestos-related diseases, from a scientific and historical perspective. The book presents a carefully referenced review of the medical literature on the health effects of asbestos, and reflects the extensive experience of the author in evaluating patients with asbestos-related disorders.

This book addresses the developing field of Work Disability Prevention. Work disability does not only involve occupational disorders originating from the work or at the workplace, but addresses work absenteeism originating from any disorder or accident. This topic has become of primary importance due to the huge compensation costs and health issues involved. For employers it is a unique burden and in many countries compensation is not even linked to the cause of the disorder. In the past twenty years, studies have accumulated which emphasize the social causes of work disability. Governments and NGOs such as the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have produced alarming reports on the extent of this problem for developed and developing countries. However, no comprehensive book is presently available to help them address this emerging field where new knowledge should induce new ways of management. "

The Emergence of Tropical Medicine in France examines the turbulent history of the ideas, people, and institutions of French colonial and tropical medicine from their early modern origins through World War I. Until the 1890s colonial medicine was in essence naval medicine, taught almost exclusively in a system of provincial medical schools built by the navy in the port cities of Brest, Rochefort-sur-Mer, Toulon, and Bordeaux. Michael A. Osborne draws out this separate species of French medicine by examining the histories of these schools and other institutions in the regional and municipal contexts of port life. Each site was imbued with its own distinct sensibilities regarding diet, hygiene, ethnicity, and race, all of which shaped medical knowledge and practice in complex and heretofore unrecognized ways. Osborne argues that physicians formulated localized concepts of diseases according to specific climatic and meteorological conditions, and assessed, diagnosed, and treated patients according to their ethnic and cultural origins. He also demonstrates that regions, more so than a coherent nation, built the empire and specific medical concepts and practices. Thus, by considering tropical medicine's distinctive history, Osborne brings to light a more comprehensive and nuanced view of French medicine, medical geography, and race theory, all the while acknowledging the navy's crucial role in combating illness and investigating the racial dimensions of health.

Biosensors are poised to make a large impact in environmental, food, and biomedical applications, as they clearly offer advantages over standard analytical methods, including minimal sample preparation and handling, real-time detection, rapid detection of analytes, and the ability to be used by non-skilled personnel. Covering numerous applications of biosensors used in food and the environment, Portable Biosensing of Food Toxicants and Environmental Pollutants presents basic knowledge on biosensor technology at a postgraduate level and explores the latest advances in chemical sensor technology for researchers. By providing useful, state-of-the-art information on recent developments in biosensing devices, the book offers both newcomers and experts a roadmap to this technology. In the book, distinguished researchers from around the world show how portable and handheld nanosensors, such as dynamic DNA and protein arrays, enable rapid and accurate detection of environmental pollutants and pathogens. The book first introduces the basic principles of biosensing for newcomers to the technology. It then explains how the integration of a "receptor" can provide analytically useful information. It also describes trends in biosensing and examines how a small-sized device can have portability for the in situ determination of toxicants. The book concludes with several examples illustrating how to determine toxicants in food and environmental samples.

This new, international and definitive guide to the investigation, diagnosis, and treatment of environmentally-acquired disorders is aimed at anyone specializing, or with a clinical interest, in environmental health issues.L Comprehensive, challenging, and informative, this book is a unique reference that brings into sharp focus the increasing importance of the practice of environmental medicine. Many topical and controversial subjects are put into evidence-based context.L The expert author team, drawn from a variety of backgrounds, has focused on the key issues in the field, placing emphasis on those most relevant to contemporary practice, with boxes providing detail on the more esoteric conditions. Hot topics include H1N1 influenza, climate change, air pollution, food contamination, and the health effects of air travel.

This unique volume presents an up-to-date review of one of the world's major health problems diseases caused by the four dengue viruses. It begins with an insightful story of the origin of dengue disease outbreaks, including the emergence of severe and fatal dengue hemorrhagic fever. The nature, structure and biology of the four dengue viruses are described, and a major portion of the book is focused on the epidemiology of dengue as a mosquito-borne disease. This is complemented by critiques of existing mosquito control programs by three groups of outstanding authorities. The strongest element of the volume is its comprehensive description of the current understanding of dengue disease pathogenesis, followed by an analysis of the pros and cons of five of the most controversial areas in the field: the WHO DEF case definition, secondary dengue infections, virulent viruses, the role of abnormal T cells and autoimmunity.

Deconditioning is an integrated physiological response of the body to a reduction in metabolic rate, that is, to a reduction in energy use or in exercise level. Deconditioning and Reconditioning presents selected background information on the many aspects of ground-based and in-flight physiological research and applications.
This multi-author volume emphasizes human research programs on prolonged bed rest, immersion and confinement studies simulating conditions of space flight, as well as data from humans in space. Consolidating this research, chapters cover the psycho-sociological aspects of confinement deconditioning, the effects of deconditioning and reconditioning on aerobic power, thermoregulation during deconditioning, and practical applications.

Work-related disability is an increasingly important issue in businesses and organisations, in terms of cost and competitiveness as well as being an obvious social and ethical issue. Moreover, changes in the nature of disability arising from developments in the nature of work warrant a new approach to this relatively important but understudied topic.
Significant developments have taken place in the understanding of risk in a changing labour market; in linking injury events with subsequent primary prevention efforts; in engaging all the key stakeholders in effective pre-injury prevention and post-injury disability management efforts; and in exploring the relative contributions of company-level interventions and economic incentives and regulatory interventions. These issues are examined and drawn together to form a unique, evidence-based, state-of-the-art research work revealing what works best in the prevention of workplace disability. It takes into account the changing nature of the workplace and work force; the newest evidence on what constitutes effective early and staged multi modal interventions in the workplace; psychological risk perception; and the essential linking of the workplace, the clinician, the insurer and the worker in the recovery process and in the prevention of subsequent disability events at work.

This volume illustrates the impact of environmental oxidants on the tissues of the eyes, lungs and skin, as well as on the immune system - highlighting common illnesses, injuries and pathologies induced by pro-oxidant environmental xenobiotics such as inflammation, immune response, signal transduction, regulation of gene expression, and carcinogenesis. It provides clinical presentations and discusses the effects of environmental oxidants on target organs.

Changing life at work; Ethics, research-informed practice and quality improvement; Ethical analysis; The ethics of risk assessment; The ethics of workplace interventions; Workplace health surveillance; Health examinations on new employment - ethical issues; Work- disability assessment in the Netherlands; Sickness-absence.

Dedicated to the late Bertil Gardell, a Swedish Social Scientist, this text comprises of 18 essays that shares a common vision - the impact of work on the interconnected processes of stress and disease.

Now in a revised and expanded second edition, this unique text discusses the opportunities and challenges to the practice of orthopedic surgery in resource-limited environments around the world. Sensibly divided into thematic sections, part I examines barriers to care, from the poorly recognized global burden of orthopedic conditions and the less than ideal equipment to the cultural considerations and ethical dilemmas inherent in such situations. General clinical topics are covered in part II, such as non-surgical approaches and anesthesia, while the remaining sections discuss adult and pediatric trauma, presented in an anatomical format for easy reference with a focus on the natural history and the best treatment methods within existing limitations, followed by musculoskeletal infections, non-infectious pediatric conditions, reconstruction, and amputations. Topics new to this edition include the management of non-unions by induced membrane techniques, autologous bone grafting, bone growth and burn charts, the management of neck and back pain, and principles of orthopedic rehabilitation. Written and edited by experts with years of experience working in austere settings, this second edition of Global Orthopedics is a seamless transition from the original and expands the range of possible management strategies in places desperate for orthopedic care, making it a must for all surgeons and practitioners planning to work in such challenging settings.

Written by multidisciplinary experts in medicine, chemistry, and architecture, this book examines chemical sensitivity (CS). In 15 chapters fitted to 15 lectures, it discusses not only the medical explanation, but also the environmental factors of this hypersensitive reaction, such as chemistry and architectural aspects. The book overviews pollution-induced diseases such as Minamata Disease. It also points out the similarity of modern hypersensitivity syndromes to historical pollution diseases from the viewpoints of not only natural scientific aspects, but also social understanding of the disease.

Assessment of freshwater sediments can determine whether chemical concentrations are sufficient to cause adverse effects on aquatic organisms or organisms higher in the food chain, including humans. This book presents methods for assessing sediments and includes an integration of physical, chemical, and biological information. It examines the elements of quality assurance and control programs, considerations for the conduct of field surveys, screening-level analyses, chemical analyses, toxicity tests for assessing biological impacts, assessments of benthic invertebrate community structure, surveys of fish tumors and abnormalities, and data presentation and interpretation techniques.

The potential health hazards that might arise from the presence of organic substances in water are a matter of increasing concern to the water industry, environmentalists and the general public alike. This comprehensive reference draws together and systematises the vast body of information available on the occurrence and determination of organic substances in natural waters. Organic Compounds in Natural Waters provides a comprehensive description of organic substances in waters. Methods are provided in broad outline, with guidance on their applicability, their comparative advantages and disadvantages, possible interferences, sensitivity and detection levels. The book is an essential reference for analytical chemists working in industry, water utilities, government, non government organisations and regulatory agencies and environmental/analytical consultants.

Leprosy (Hansen s disease) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is one of the most disabling disorders in developing countries, with a peak incidence in the tropics and subtropics. With globalization, leprosy is now increasingly spreading to the western world. The impact of this infectious disorder is relevant for the human community due to its transmissible nature, and also important for the individual because of its debilitating consequences. Leprosy is a multifaceted systemic disease with variable presentation and clinical picture. Its identification may therefore not be straightforward, especially outside endemic areas. During its chronic course, leprosy is characterized by acute phases during which there may be exacerbation of symptoms and rapid progression of damage. When leprosy affects the eyes, nerves, and kidneys, it can represent a true medical emergency. The aim of this book is to make the reader familiar with the characteristic signs of disease, including abnormalities of the skin, nerves, eyes, hands, feet, testes, and bone. Early identification of the disease is critical to prevent patient disability and establish appropriate therapy. Emphasis will be given to the current diagnostic tools to identify and quantify the organ damage, including electrophysiology, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, laboratory tests, and histopathology. Specific topics such as leprosy and pregnancy, leprosy and HIV infection, epidemiology, and leprosy control will also be covered.

Contents:
Foreword [Nigel Corlett]. 1. Introduction. 2. Anthropometry. 3. Motor Behaviour. 4. Vision and Eyes. 5. Head and Neck. 6. Trunk. 7. Pelvis. 8. Leg and Foot. 9. Shoulder Girdle and Upper Arm 10. Forearm and Hand. 11. Postures, Movements, and other Factors. 12. Force Exertion. 13. Performance. 14. Digital Human Models for Ergonomic Design and Engineering. Index.

Considered an essential resource by many in the field, Diving and Subaquatic Medicine remains the leading text on diving medicine, written to fulfil the requirements of any general physician wishing to advise their patients appropriately when a diving trip is planned, for those accompanying diving expeditions or when a doctor is required to assess and treat anyone who has been involved in a diving accident. For this fifth edition the original author, Carl Edmonds, is joined by a new team of collaborators and the content has been entirely refreshed and updated throughout. Clinical cases, a feature popular with readers, are expanded, as is the illustrative content. Established and emerging diseases of diving medicine are all covered in full, as is the latest in types of diving, including free and indigenous diving, and associated equipment. Each medical disorder is discussed from a historical, etiological, clinical, pathological, preventative and therapeutic perspective in the informative and accessible style that has made previous editions so popular.