Book Review of Ward, Milledge & West's High Altitude Medicine and Physiology, 6th Edition by Andrew Luks, Philip Ainslie, Justin Lawley, Robert Roach, and Tatum Simonson.

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High Altitude Medicine & BiologyVol. 22, No. 2 Book ReviewsFree AccessBook Review of Ward, Milledge & West's High Altitude Medicine and Physiology, 6th Edition by Andrew Luks, Philip Ainslie, Justin Lawley, Robert Roach, and Tatum SimonsonPeter H. HackettPeter H. Hackett—Reviewed by: Peter H. Hackett, MD, Ridgway, Colorado, USA Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:23 Jun 2021https://doi.org/10.1089/ham.2021.29022.hacAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Ward, Milledge and West's High Altitude Medicine and Physiology, 6th edition, by Andrew Luks, Philip Ainsile, Justin Lawley, Robert Roach, and Tatum Simonson, Taylor and Francis Publishing, CRC Press, Boca Rotan, 2021, 554 pp., ISBN: 9780429444333.Sitting in a yak herder's stone hut at 4,243 m in Nepal in 1975, I was operating the Himalayan Rescue Association Pheriche Aid Post. By candlelight I was reading Michael Ward's just-published book Mountain Medicine. I could not put it down, devoured every chapter. I was an initiate in mountain medicine with minimal experience, and it was both exciting and somewhat reassuring to read a clear and comprehensive state-of-the-art book regarding all things related to mountain medicine, from the physiology of acclimatization to clinical altitude illness to cold injuries. There is no doubt that Mountain Medicine helped propel me into a lifelong career as a mountain medicine doctor. Fourteen years later, Professor Ward teamed up with his companions from the famous 1960–61 Silver Hut research expedition, JB West and JS Milledge, to produce the first edition of High Altitude Medicine and Physiology. We now are treated to the sixth edition of this landmark text, and I can imagine young physicians, physiologists, and scientists being as captivated with this new book as I was with Mountain Medicine 45 years ago.Of course, much has changed over the decades. Over 80 million humans now live at >2,500 m, and many more millions travel to high altitude for tourism, recreation, work, or other purposes. Altitude-related medical problems have correspondingly increased, as has research into both clinical and basic science aspects. Since the first edition was published in 1989, there have been ∼16,000 entries in PubMed on high-altitude medicine and physiology, and 9,000 just since the previous edition in 2013. The authors of this new edition have done a marvelous job of parsing the extensive literature to produce a volume pertinent to the practicing physician, clinical scientists, and physiologists. Andy Luks puts together a splendid team of coauthors in Drs. Ainslie, Lawley, Roach, and Simonson to do a much-needed thorough revision of the previous edition.The 6th edition for the first time includes 49 figures with color, a very attractive enhancement. The 194 black-and-white figures are 40 more than the previous edition. The book is a bit physically larger (8 × 11.5 in) than the previous, with nicely done font and formatting that makes it easier reading. The spectacular cover photo of Ama Dablam was taken from above Pheriche by Dr. Luks when he was working at the clinic years ago. I like that they put the references at the end of each chapter instead of all together at the end of the book. More importantly, the authors have rigorously edited and updated the references, providing an excellent resource for readers.Although the chapters are titled nearly the same as the 5th edition, the authors have meticulously revised the material. A section on genomics is new. Special populations and patients with pre-existing medical problems receive more attention. I was disappointed that the chapter on athletes and altitude was removed from the previous edition, but much of the content was incorporated into the exercise chapter. Chapter 1 on the history of high-altitude medicine and physiology now encompasses research projects up to the last few years, a major upgrade from the previous edition.Overall, Dr. Luks and his crew took on a major revision of this textbook, did an outstanding job, and delivered a must-have addition to our home and institutional libraries. For physicians and scientists interested in high-altitude medicine and physiology, upgrading to this new edition is more than worthwhile.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 22Issue 2Jun 2021 InformationCopyright 2021, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Peter H. Hackett.Book Review of Ward, Milledge & West's High Altitude Medicine and Physiology, 6th Edition by Andrew Luks, Philip Ainslie, Justin Lawley, Robert Roach, and Tatum Simonson.High Altitude Medicine & Biology.Jun 2021.242-242.http://doi.org/10.1089/ham.2021.29022.hacPublished in Volume: 22 Issue 2: June 23, 2021PDF download