I reviewed this book and posted it to Paddlewise awhile back. However since I am using a variety of ISP's and email addresses (while traveling) is was rejected by the list-serv, probably because I sent it by a service that I am not registered with for Paddlewise. I still think it is an excellent book, and would like others to be aware of it. Infections of Leisure (2nd ED) by David Schlossberg (ed) 1999. ISBN 1-555581-160-4. Paperback. Despite the fact that this book is published by the American Society for Microbiology, no specialized background in medicine is needed to enjoy it fully.The overall concept of the book is a review of diseases and micro-oganisms that can affect the outdoor traveler. It also contains sections on toxic marine organisms. (As well as the nasty things you can get from you dog,cat,bird, or rose gardening, and exotic cuisine) .Even barracudas and jellyfish get a mention. The chapter "At the Shore"covers red tide,shellfish poisoning,pufferfish,moray eels, and traumatic marine wounds. The chapter "Freshwater: from Lakes to Hot Tubs" covers skin-eye-ear infections resulting from freshwater immersion. "The Camper's Uninvited Guests" covers Lyme Disease,Giardia, and various mosquito-born diseases, relevant to the North American (and elsewhere) paddler. Topic of other chapters include "Transmission of Infectious Diseases during Sporting Activities", "Traveling Abroad", and "STD's and Travel". It is difficult to imagine how the editor of this multi-authored text managed to find 19 contributors with BOTH the expertise AND a sense of humor to create this small (430 pages with extensive bibliography and index) text. It is wonderful! Priced at under $50, it can be found at the usual big on-line booksellers. It also received a glowing review this Spring in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which means it is probably available at most medical libraries. (Actually as a result of the JAMA review, I had to wait 4 months on backorder to get a copy!) . This is a very "readable book".. cover to cover. It discusses health and safety topics that do come up time to time on Paddlewise. Probably it is too specialized to go into even an expeditionary medical officer's kit, yet little of the information presented here is beyond the possible experience of North American paddlers of the Pacific,Gulf, or Atlantic coasts, and inland lakes and waterways. My wife, Wendy, who does not have a medical background , also read this book. She found it gave a wealth of information on topics that she has seen elsewhere, but rarely had the patience to try and digest the dry and complicated explanations of , before reading this book. Her passing review of this book was a laugh and the comment "Infections of Leisure" sounds like a wretched translation from the French of a collection of poems by Baudelaire (or was it Mallarme?) Anyway...it is well worth the price, both in the information presented, and the literary style employed. Rich Dempsey ridem_at_msn.com rdempsey_at_wyoming.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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