Australia’s own diving medicine bible | |
Diving and subaquatic medicine. 4th ed. Carl W Edmonds, Christopher Lowry, John Pennefather, Robyn M Walker. London: Arnold, 2002 (viii + 719 pp). ISBN 0 340 80630 3. |
One of the first books
One of the first books I was given to study when starting my hyperbaric term was the third edition of Diving and subaquatic medicine. It is still one of the few textbooks that I have literally read from cover to cover. The fourth edition builds on the success of the previous three editions as four of the most respected diving specialists in Australia have collaborated to produce an immensely readable book of a technically difficult subject. The contents include both the physics and physiology of diving medicine along with interspersed clinical vignettes of actual cases that are used to illustrate particular points. The book itself is well diagrammed and has extremely good photos (several in colour), which only enhance the clinical and theoretical discussions of each topic. I find it hard to think of a subject in diving medicine that this book has not covered very well, and the main topics (such as injuries to the ear) are covered in appropriate depth. The book also helpfully includes several common treatment tables and diving schedules, and it is still one of the most utilised books (as well as the most often liberated book) in the hyperbaric medicine unit. Diving and subaquatic medicine keeps to the topic well and is a reasonable size to keep readily available. It is probably the best all-round diving medicine book available, and its Australian origins make it particularly relevant. Even non-diving issues such as marine envenomation, near-drowning and underwater explosions (!) are covered in this comprehensive textbook. It is quite rightly known as the Diving Medicine Bible in Australia, and anyone who works in diving medicine, medically certifies divers or even has a mild interest in diving will enjoy this easy-to-read book.
Glen Hawkins
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