David Werner

I'm reading this book as research for some piece of fiction I am writing. Even though my piece is set in a fantasy realm, I thought perhaps some of the practical things would be useful. From a quick skim I can tell that it will be, and besides, I may learn something I will have to use myself!

Having now finished the book, I can see it would be an essential thing to have of you lived in a remote village area. Descriptions are simple and very easy to understand and really useful for sometime show more who is trying to explain something to a person who have no idea of medicine from a scientific pov. For me, in my research endeavors, the first aid and perhaps common illnesses and their treatments were of the most use. If nothing else, it was a very good overview of basic healthcare. show less

This classic guide, which goes far beyond first aid and tells you things that you need to know if you're really in the bush, far from trained medical help, has saved many lives and has proved very useful over the years.

An informative read through. Really have to be in a position to apply the lessons learned. As we all know, prevention is key, and this book is filled with examples.

This book is written for people in remote areas of the world and has been translated into many languages because it is so useful. It presents ways to keep a family healthy and well-nourished; how to diagnose and treat many illnesses, with pictures. For example, there is a page of pictures to help distinguish skin signs of measles from allergic reactions, typhoid,. advanced syphillis, etc., with a page number following the picture so finding more information is easy. The instructions tell show more when the injury or illness is village treatable, when one see a doctor, when not to wait for a doctor but take the patient to a hospital immediately. Of course, it shows how to carry the patient safely for the days it may take to get to a hospital. There are also guideline for community health, such as getting clean water, or making water clean by boiling or straining (to get worms or infected water fleas out).
I'm using it to help decide what treatments would be reasonable for a 9th century healer to use. show less