In Extreme Medicine, Kevin Fong weaves together historical anecdotes and his experiences as a NASA-trained physician, anesthesiologist and astrophysicist to demonstrate how the efforts of 20th-century explorers to reach the ends of the earth have inspired medical advancements enabling us to prolong human life.
He uses examples such as Robert Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole to highlight the cellular and metabolic changes that occur in hypothermia; a century later, understanding these changes allowed a doctor to survive being trapped under icy waters. He also discusses how war acted as a catalyst for the development of antibiotics, anesthesiology and plastic surgery--and in the launch of trauma and intensive care units. Not all of Fong's examples are success stories, however. A story of scuba diving off the coast of Fiji shows that despite medical advancements, there are limits to what the human body can endure--some frontiers are not meant to be conquered.
"In retelling the story of twentieth century medicine, we often superimpose a narrative of steady progress," Fong writes, "when in truth physicians, surgeons, and scientists did little more than stumble ahead, as all explorers do, solving and creating problems as they went." Using his skill and insight, Fong does a tremendous job of distilling the important historical tidbits of human exploration and medical science into digestible nuggets of prose. These stories attest to a humanistic bedside manner and a continuing curiosity in human exploration that has led to his success as a writer and documentarian. --Nancy Powell, freelance writer and technical consultant