Good medical reference books are vital. The following is a list in two parts. First are books I think are a really solid starting point for a survival medicine library and then a selection of other useful medical books with varying strengths and weaknesses. What you prefer is to a great extent personal opinion. Most can be obtained from any university book shop, Paladin Press or from Amazom.com. There are titles and authors for all books, but only ISBN’s and approximate prices (US$) for some.

5.1 Must Haves

1. Where There is No Doctor. By Werner. Hesperian Foundation 1992 $17 If you buy no other medical book, you must have this one. This is the must-have of survival medicine; it WILL save lives. Although slanted to the third world (= TEOTW…. environment ?) and the tropics, it contains the essential basics of all aspects of medicine.
2. A good medical dictionary.
   • Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary. By Dorland 1994 $44.50
   • Mosby’s Medical Dictionary. By Anderson 1993 $27.95
3. An Anatomy and Physiology reference.
   • Functional Anatomy and Physiology. By Yamamoto. 1996 $30
   • Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology. By Scancon.
   • An anatomy atlas such as Grays or Grants are also excellent for any do-it-yourself surgery. N.B there are a number of collectors editions of Grays anatomy, you should avoid these if possible and purchase a new edition.
4. Where There is No Dentist. By Dickson. Hesperian Foundation 1983, $9 The only book of its kind. Very good. Dental care is a very under-estimated survival problem.
5. An emergency medicine reference
   • Emergency Care in the Streets. By Caroline. 1995. $49.95
     My choice, but both are good books. Textbooks of paramedic care.
   • Mosby’s Paramedic Textbook. By Sanders $48.95
6. A drug reference guide
   • In USA – Physicians Desk reference
   • In UK – British National Formulary
   • In Aust – PIMS
   • In NZ – New Ethicals catalogue
7. Ditch Medicine. Coffee. Paladin press. $25 Vital for basic emergency surgical procedures and a stepping stone into more advanced stuff
8. A Herbal/Medicinal Plant guide to your area. The basis of most of the modern drugs is in plants and large numbers have potent medicinal properties. Also local indigenous peoples often have books about their traditional medicine. You need to be careful separating out what’s useful and what’s not, but it may be very valuable in a major long term event.A good starting point :
   • Medical Botany. W.H Lewis; John Wiley and sons. 1977. $47.96

5.2 General Books

(* = my recommendations)

• *Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. Hope. Oxford University Press. 1995. $25 Excellent coverage of basic medical principles aimed at the junior doctor level.
• *Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties. Collier. Oxford University Press. 1993 $27.95. As above except covers the specialties including OBGYN, pediatrics, orthopedics and anesthetics.
• Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. Tierney. Lange. 1997 Up-to-date management of common medical problems, requires some advanced knowledge.
• Oxford Handbook of Emergency Medicine in General Practice. Lawrence. Oxford University Press. 96. $30 good coverage of the basics of emergency medicine in easy to read format.
• Merck Manual Vol. 1: General Medicine. Berkow. MSD. 93. $12. Good reference, but can be complicated and verbose
• Merck Manual Vol. 2: Specialties. Berkow. MSD. 93. $15 {Both volumes are also available as a combined text, for about $25. The entire Merck Manual is available for download from the “Virtual Hospital” site.}
• International Medical Guide for Ships. W.H.O.
• *Ships Captains Medical Guide. Her Majesty’s Stationary Office. 1983 My personal favorite. I would recommend this book to everyone. It covers the management of most common problems in an excellent format, designed for ships isolated at sea. Also good description of drugs and when to use them. The new 22nd edition is in press. The american equivalent is called ” The Ships medicine chest and medical care at sea ” and is published by the US office for public health.
• Advanced First Aid Afloat. Eastman.
• Onboard Medical Handbook. Gill. $15
• Medical Emergencies at Sea. Kessler.
• Medicine for Mountaineering. Wilkerson. $15
• Wilderness Medical Society: Practice Guidelines for Wilderness Emergency Care. Forgery. 1995 $12.95
• *Wilderness Medicine: Management of Wilderness and Environmental Emergencies. Ed Auerbach $179. I recently bought this book, and can strongly recommend it. Given its price I would suggest only those who already have a good basic knowledge consider buying it.
• *Book for Midwives : A Manual for Traditional Birth Attendants and Midwives. Klein. Hesperian Foundation. ISBN 0942364228 Best book of its kind. Safe childbirth in a low-tech environment with minimal backup.
• Maye’s Midwifery Textbook. Sweet. $49.95
• Survivalist Medicine Chest. Benson. Paladin Press. 1983 ISBN 0873642562 $10. A little dated. Some advice I consider a little suspect, but generally a good book.
• Do-It-Yourself Medicine. Benson. Paladin Press 1996. ISBN 0873649184 $20. I have not seen this book, but understand it is the up dated version of Medicine Chest, and addresses some of that books problems. Recommended by many.
• *US Special Forces Medical Handbook. Paladin Press. 1987. Again a little dated, but still an excellent book. Even the new edition is still not completely up to date. But its strengths overcome this. Good coverage all areas including surgery, dentistry and preventive medicine.
• Wounds and Lacerations – Emergency Care and Closure. Trott. Pub Mosby.
• Emergency War Surgery. Bowen. 1994 ISBN 0788102915 $60 Excellent book but, very technical.
• *Emergency War Surgery: US revision of Nato Handbook. G.P.O 1988 $50. The do-it-yourself surgery guide. Designed for junior doctors with minimal trauma experience going into a war zone. Starting to be a little dated, but the basics don’t change.
• Field Surgery Pocket Book. Her Majesty’s Stationary Office. British version of the above. I personally prefer this one to the NATO handbook, but each are equally good.