Mountain Rescue Doctor: Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature | 
 enlarge | Author: Christopher Van Tilburg
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $5.05
You Save: $19.90 (80%)
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Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 248099
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1
ISBN: 0312358873
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.0252
EAN: 9780312358877
ASIN: 0312358873
Publication Date: November 13, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
“A fast-paced account of Mt. Hood. For readers who are unfamiliar with the rugged and beautiful Hood River area, [Van Tilburg] balances its undeniable perils with the joys of its scenic wonders . . .”
--Publisher’s Weekly
“Van Tilburg’s dogged spadework in translating to the page the intricate essentials of his unique trade makes each breathtaking rescue literally come to life. Exhilarating take on the daily life of a unique brand of doctor.”
--Kirkus
“As a medical doctor, a previously published author (Backcountry Snowboarding; Introducing Your Kids to the Outdoors), and an adventure-sports devotee himself, Van Tilburg is uniquely qualified to describe the fears, excitement, frustration, and rewards of these searches. He examines the high costs of search-and-rescue operations and provides an interesting overview of the debate on whether victims should be held responsible for some of these costs. Young adults will likely enjoy this introduction to the field of wilderness medicine. Filled with adventure and good advice.”
--Library Journal
"Outdoors folk in Oregon have long benefited from Dr. Chris Van Tilburg’s skills as an emergency doctor and his selfless devotion to rescuing injured hikers and climbers as a volunteer for his local mountain rescue service. Now his other great skill--as a writer--has brought these exciting tales to the country at large. Chris captures the excitement of a rescue with the passion of a true mountaineer, and does so in highly readable prose."
--John Harlin III, Editor of The American Alpine Journal and author of The Eiger Obsession, Mount Rainier and The Climber's Guide to North America
Christopher Van Tilburg, MD is an emergency room physician, a ski patrol doctor, an emergency wilderness physician, and a member of the Hood River Crag Rats, the oldest mountain rescue team in the country. When Dr. Van Tilburg's beeper goes off, the call may take him racing up a mountain peak to rescue an injured hiker, scaling a rocky ledge to intubate a hiker who has fallen over a cliff, into a blizzard to search for missing skiers, or to a mountain airplane crash scene for body recovery. Dr. Van Tilburg's work requires a unique combination of emergency medicine, survival skills, agility, and extreme sports. In Mountain Rescue Doctor, Van Tilburg shares personal stories of harrowing and suspenseful rescues and recoveries, including the recent Mount Hood disaster, which claimed the lives of three climbers. We learn about the tools and techniques of emergency wilderness medicine, as well as the feats of human strength and delicacy required to treat patients under extreme conditions. And finally, we confront some of the ethical challenges a wilderness physician faces in making tough choices about who can be saved and at what cost. Mountain Rescue Doctor is an exhilarating tour through the perils of nature and medicine.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
Gripping October 2, 2008
A fantastic insight to the what the Search & Rescue volunteers go through to aid and assist the common and, not-so-common, adventurers. Exciting read where every chapter addresses a different rescue, different aspect, and different experience of Dr. Van Tilburg's.
recommended September 8, 2008
With this insider's view of mountain rescue and wilderness medicine, Chris van Tilburg takes the reader along on some exciting missions. Along with the gripping tales, Dr. van Tilburg has included many thoughtful discussions of the issues involved, such as how some of the victims ended up in trouble in the mountains. He also shares a personal view of how he balances mountain rescue, medicine, and family life with a wife and two young daughters. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in mountain rescue, especially as a member or potential member of a rescue group. For doctors and other medical professionals who are interested in wilderness medicine, this is a must read.
Where is the sequel??? September 4, 2008
I read this book in less than a week. Even though I am not part of the medical profession, rescue profession, or familiar with mountain climbing, I found it both fascinating and entertaining. Dr. Vantilburg relays his experience as a rescue doctor in a manner that is technical and interesting, but not too weighty in medical jargon. The stories are fascinating recounts of local rescues that balance tension with eloquent descriptions of natural beauty. I wanted to keep reading after the last story ended.
Our community is fortunate to have the Crag Rats as a rescue team, and I am grateful Dr. Vantilburg made me aware of this fine group of men and women. The book carefully describes the dedication, skill, and fitness each member must maintain so that we can be a little safer exploring the wilderness. It also brings to light the ongoing discussion as to who should be financially responsible for rescues that tax local resources and funding.
I recommend this book to anybody who is interested in outdoor recreation as it captures the wonder of the outdoors, but also delivers a cautionary warning as to what can go wrong if one is not prepared.
An excellent book September 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wilderness medicine is the art and science of practicing medicine in unpredictable and sometimes extremely harsh environments, as found in the mountains at high altitude, at sea during expeditions to remote reefs or under the harsh sun of an equatorial desert. It is not for the faint of heart and requires a willingness to endure isolation, limited resources and physical and emotional hardship.
Most tales of search, rescue and wilderness medicine begin with an account of how the victims got into trouble. Sometimes they venture into inclement weather without having thought about how to prepare a shelter or what to do if they become injured or lost. Sometimes it's just plain bad luck, as the forces of nature conspire to produce an unanticipated storm or avalanche.
Christopher Van Tilburg, M.D. offers a collection of tales about mountain rescue in Oregon, where he is a member of the Hood River Crag Rats, reputed to be the oldest mountain rescue team in the United States. As an emergency physician and an expert in many aspects of wilderness medicine, he is well qualified to be part of such a team; as a skilled writer, he engages, informs and entertains the reader.
Van Tilburg's stories are highly personal, each describing the setting and events of an actual rescue. In river parlance, that is the main run - but as anyone knows who has floated the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon, there is much to be learned from the side hikes. Brief literary forays are scattered throughout Mountain Rescue Doctor as Van Tilburg shares his thoughts on what it means to be a physician, how he became an aficionado of wilderness medicine and how he depersonalizes rescue situations. He discusses topics such as injury prevention, rescuer and physician liability, and the risks, rewards, appropriateness and ethics of rescues. One of the questions I am most frequently asked by medical students and residents-in-training is how they can work wilderness medicine into their future as busy clinicians. Now I can suggest this book as an example of how one doctor answered his calling. Mountain Rescue Doctor is a useful addition to the literature of wilderness medicine because it sheds light on one doctor's motivation in devoting a large part of his professional life to this dynamic and essential specialty.
Heart pounding page-turner September 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As an EMS volunteer, I've participated in a few rescues myself, but none as difficult or dangerous as described in this book. Van Tilberg's stories make for compulsive reading. He does an excellent job of explaining the difficult thought processes behind the amazing number and variety of life-and-death decisions that rescuers must make on every mission. This is a worthwhile and exciting read.
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