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The DAN Guide to Dive Medical FAQs by Divers Alert NetworkDiving Science by Michael B Strauss & Igor V Aksenov
Two new books are aimed at divers who want to do more than simply kit up and jump into the water. Both aim to explain and expose some of the detail behind the risk factors associated with commonly discussed afflictions such as the bends, narcosis, hypothermia and a myriad of diseases which may strike the diver.
???? I have great respect for Divers Alert Network (DAN) and the immense service it provides in diving emergencies. Typically, its Guide to Medical FAQs is a thorough and valuable resource for anyone with queries about anything from diving with dental braces or asthma, to the wisdom of diving with a pacemaker or after all sorts of surgery.
???? One strength of this work is that it has a comprehensive index, and that each medical condition is presented with a 'case history' - 'a 35-year-old male, weighing 85kg, returned from a diving holiday complaining of swollen wrists' etc.
???? This allows non-medics to follow the scientific and physiological exposition of the symptoms and treatment easily, without dumbing down any of the subsequent explanations.
???? It will be useful to any diver who develops a medical condition and wants guidance on where to go for proper advice on fitness to continue with the sport, or for prospective divers with queries about existing conditions.
???? Diving Science is also well-intentioned, and is to be recommended for its comprehensive bibliography, index and many of the excellent tables which attempt to simplify questions relating to pressure, anatomy and physiology.
???? However, I found the layout, design and even the style in which it is written rather dated, and at times, turgid. Overall, the tone is very scientific and would not appeal to the casual reader who wants to learn more about diving science. There is a great deal of valuable information in this book, but you have to work hard to get at it.
Tim Ecott
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The DAN Guide to Dive Medical FAQs by Divers Alert Network, ISBN 1930536186) Softback, 232pp, ?12.95
Diving Science by Michael B Strauss & Igor V Aksenov (Human Kinetics, ISBN 0736048308) Softback, 408pp, $27.95
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