Medical Books You Want To Have, Read, and Study While You Can
Editor’s note: Over the past few weeks, I have been corresponding via email with a site regular “WolfBrother” about prepping books. Funny thing is, I have been compiling a list of all of the prepping books that I currently own, and was putting it into an article when we began chatting. Wolfbrother, a former military medic, has an extensive medical library, and emailed his list of all of the medical books that he has collected over the years. To be honest, it is quite impressive.
He broke his list down into 2 categories: free publications, and those that will require you opening up the pocketbook. Regardless of which books you go with, we both HIGHLY encourage you to add some medical books and training into your preps!
A little about me and my background: I have been in and around First Aid/Military Medicine/EMS since I was in Junior High (1963-65). I grew up in a small, West Texas, redneck, football town.
In the 8th grade the VFD put on the full Red Cross First Aid course. I was allowed to take it. Was pre-mouth to mouth and pre-CPR. I was a number 2 draft pick out of High School. Graduated June 1970, July 1970 Uncle Sam picked me #2 in his draft. July 70 started becoming a medic. I was Hospital and Field trained.
At 19 I was working evenings and nights in our 8 bed surgical/coronary ICU. During a TDY I was awarded the Combat Medic Badge and was remote site qualified. This allowed me to within limits diagnose and prescribe. I did that until we got our first batch of PA’s.
I was sent to work in the ER. After the service I wound up a Fire Fighter/EMT on a Rescue truck. I was also an adjunct instructor at the local Jr College, and did that to support my family while in college. I continued to train and learn, eventually work became such that I couldn’t continue my certifications. So as I noted above I have no active certifications.
Back when online forums were in their infancy, pre-Y2K, many folks were coming new into the “Self Sufficiency and Emergency Preparedness” world. A common question I saw posed was “Where do I get medical information/books?” I started this list and over the years it has grown and changed. There are other books to be found on the internet but I have found that those listed below will give the reader a broad range of medical knowledge.
If you have questions or concerns, at the bottom of this article is a contact form you can use to get a hold of me. I will be more than happy to give you my opinion. Of course you know about opinions, yes? They’re like posterior lower body parts, most everyone has one and sometimes they stink.
Without training and practice…..as the saying goes, having a book does not make you a cook. If you have time and money, take the Red Cross 1st Aid courses, join a CERT team, get training. Hands on training beats reading books every single day!
If you work thru the free list, in the order it appears, you will obtain a broad range of good medical knowledge, starting with the basics then working up. The first 5 books I have linked to are downloadable for free. The rest, as previously noted, will cost you a few bucks.
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Free Downloadable Books
Survival and Austere Medicine: An introduction V3
Where There Is No Doctor/Where There Is No Dentist
The Ship Captain’s Medical Guide
Although you can download and read there books online, I would encourage you to print them out. PDF format on your computer or phone does you no good should the power grid go down. So having hard copies of these are recommended.
Medical books you might want to buy
If you have some money to spend while you download the above books, the first two books you should consider are:
Wilderness and Survival Medicine 2014: 2nd Edition
These books fit in information-wise at the same level as the “Where There Is No xxxx” books. Both of these books were recommended by a friend of mine who runs the forum Remote, Austere, Wilderness; Third World Medicine. He goes by the name “Reasonable Rascal” on those forums, and is a wealth of information. So stop by there and say hello. Tell him WolfBrother sent you!!
The next book teaches advanced field procedures for small wound repair, care of the infected wound, IV therapy, pain control, amputations, treatment of burns, airway procedures and more.
Ditch Medicine: Advanced Field Procedures For Emergencies (Paperback)
The next set of books I recommend are the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbooks. I have both (including the 1st edition companion CD) of these books. The 1st edition book has information that the 2nd edition does not have. The 2nd edition has information the 1st edition does not have. If you can afford it – my opinion – get both.
Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook (Book Only Edition) (Ring-bound)
Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook, 2nd Edition (Paperback)
Something to keep in mind, the original Special Force’s Medical Guide has been completely supplanted by the above listed SOF medical handbooks.
The following are some quotes about the original SF manual:
That manual is a relic of sentimental and historical interest only, advocating treatments that, if used by today’s medics, would result in disciplinary measures,” wrote Dr. Warner Anderson, a U.S. Army Colonel (ret.) and former associate dean of the Special Warfare Medical Group. “The manual you reference is of great historical importance in illustrating the advances made in SOF medicine in the past 25 years. But it no more reflects current SOF practice than a 25 year-old Merck Manual reflects current Family Practice. In 2007, it is merely a curiosity.” “Readers who use some of the tips and remedies could potentially cause harm to themselves or their patients.”
In order to use that manual, you would have to already know what is still useful versus what isn’t. I have a copy and I know the parts that are and aren’t. It’s still a fascinating read, especially the parts that are in there that “would result in disciplinary measures”. So if you have a copy of Special Force’s Medical Guide, you should seriously considering upgrading.
Bonus – Surgery Books
The following two books will give you some basic knowledge into fundamental surgery.
Fundamental Skills in Surgery [Hardcover]
By Thomas F. Nealon, William H. Nealon
ISBN-13 : 9780721664606
Binding : Hardcover
Pages : 468
Publisher : W.B. Saunders Company
Fundamental Skills for Surgery
Richard Perry
ISBN13: 9780074713358,
ISBN10: 0074713353,
Division: Professional,
Pub Date: OCT-08,
Pages: 320
Edition: 02
ALL of the books listed below are in use over the world by those who are not necessarily trained in surgery to perform any number of surgeries. The following 3 books are in the “Buy these to round out your already extensive Medical Library” category. They can be a bit pricey. But they are valuable sources of information.
Primary Surgery: Non-Trauma v.1: Non-Trauma Vol 1 (Paperback)
by Maurice King (Editor), Peter C. Bewes (Editor), James Cairns (Editor), Jim Thornton (Editor)
Paperback: 656 pages
Publisher: OUP Oxford; New edition edition (14 Jun 1990)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0192616943
ISBN-13: 978-0192616944
Trauma: 2 (Primary Surgery) (Paperback)
by Maurice H. King (Author)
Paperback: 381 pages
Publisher: OUP Oxford (22 Jan 1987)
Language English
ISBN-10: 019261598X
ISBN-13: 978-0192615985
Primary Anaesthesia (Primary Surgery) (Paperback)
by Maurice H. King (Author)
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: OUP Oxford (19 Jun 1986)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0192615920
ISBN-13: 978-0192615923
One additional book suggested to me by a friend of mine whom I know to be knowledgeable. I do not have the book nor have I read it. However, it is on my list of books I want to get.
Atlas of Minor Surgery
I.D. Cracknell & M.G. Mead
Publisher: W.B. Saunders Company, 1 edition (June 1998)
ISBN-10: 0443053049
ISBN-13: 978-0443053047
Pages: 86
Are there medical books you recommend that didn’t make this list? Tell us about them in the comment section below!
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By: WolfBrother
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[…] Either way, having some medical books designed to help you should medical services no longer be available is a smart decision! For more on medical books that you should consider, click this link here. […]