Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century

I was reading this book on my Kindle Reader while traveling in Japan with two other physicians and their wives. Each morning at breakfast I described another chapter in the book and they they were fascinated. Coincidentally, it was also in the current news about the young boy who smuggled himself in the wheel compartment on a jet flying from San Jose to Honolulu and the chapter on Hypothermia explained his miraculous survival. It was no mystery to us. I hope there will be other books written by Dr. Kevin Fong on Kindle

Interesting, easy read. As a medical professional I found it somewhat simplistic, but still an informative history of the medical practice we take for granted today. Certainly not too graphic fir the faint of heart!!

From learning that hypothermia could be used to save patients lives to discussing the possibility that man might not be able to survive a trip to Mars and back, this book covers a lot of territory in a very readable and enjoyable way. If you are looking for a very readable medical book, this is for you.

This has proven to be a very interesting book, as I had hoped from the professional review I had read. It's organized in a clever way, with a flashback style timeline that works well. The stories are interesting, but equally interesting is the biology, which the Dr. Fong explains very well, and in a fun style. A big thumbs up.

I have read a number of books on survival and survivors stories. I assumed this book would be in the same vein, but it was not what I expected. The writing is good, in fact, good enough to keep me reading long after becoming bored with medical details. Therein lies the problem, while the author discusses cases, they are presented in a clinical manner. Some details are compelling but for the most part I find myself skimming ahead to see if anything "cool" happens. If you are into the details, this book may be for you. If not, take a pass.

Easy to understand. So informative. Learned so much about how the body works. Filled in the blanks in all the unconnected facts I've accumulated through the years. I feel so much more able to understand what I read about the body's reactions under various circumstances. So glad I hear about this book.

This is a very interesting read - definitely gave me insight into how innovations resulted from our increasing understanding of how our bodies work.

Maybe the best book of this type I have yet read. Very interesting read that integrates various branches of science with experiences we may have personally had. Elicits new thoughts about previous happenings we may have experienced, or thought about.

Great

This book held my interest during a vacation that should have had me shunning reading for exploring new vistas. The "story" of each chapter is an historical look at the development of a particular lurch forward in modern medicine. Major world events and individual stories of uncommon men and women are woven into a fascinating account of the incredible cleverness and daring that push the frontiers of medicine into uncharted territory. The results of the innovations that work out are adopted quickly throughout the developed world into the developing world of medicine. Kevin Fong leaves no doubt that this world will continue to expand relentlessly.

👏👏👏

Fascinating read!

Brought as a gift but had no feedback on it