Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1993 14:30:01 +0800
From: Robert.Allen@Eng (Robert Allen)
Message-Id: <9308022130.AA09309@batcomfs.Eng.Sun.COM>
To: prepare@batcomfs.Eng.Sun.COM, survive@batcomfs.Eng.Sun.COM
Subject: Review of Survival Medicine Course


This weekend I attended a 2 1/2 day Survival Medical Course, taught by personnel
from Arizonas' Base Operations School, who were sponsored to teach the class by
SJ-based Earthbound Medical Rescue.  This is a short review from memory.

Phew.  The class was intensive, and I'm really not sure how to cover it, so I'll
just try and hit the high points.  The class was conducted outdoors, at the SJ
Alum Rock Park.

Friday 5pm-10pm - A slide show at the Ranger station.  It covered use of
over the counter and prescription medications as anisthetics, antiseptics,
and pain killlers.  The material covered putting together a medical kit the
size of lunch bag which could service 25 people in the field for a month or
two.  Other slides covered surviving extremes of heat (like surviving in the
desert in 126 degree temps).

Saturday 8am-8pm - we started covering field sanitation which covered some very
important disease prevention concepts: latrine establishment, eliminating
standing water, putting all animals in a central location (where possible).
Field hygiene to keep from getting diseases in the first place.  Later we moved
onto building field sterilizers, sterile-water sources, etc.  Then we had hands
on practice for suturing (practiced on pigs feet), dealing with cleaning and
repairing deep and shallow wounds.  Much time was spent on how to prevent infections
in the field.  That night there were more slides on dealing with bites by poisonous
bugs & reptiles, as well as more information on using various complex medications
for infection fighting.  Additional slides were presented on finding food sources
from plants.

Sunday 8am-4pm - a whirlwind tour of water purification & storage, additional detailed
information on living off wild plants and using them for medication.  Dealing with
severe trauma injuries in a primitive environment, including invasive procedures
such as starting IVs, establishing chest tubes & naso-gastric tubes, etc.

That short review can't begin to caprture the amount of information passed in the
class, which was already condensed from a week long format.  I used nearly two
full steno pads taking notes, in addition to receiving a field medical manual over
an inch thick.  This course was targeted at people with prior medical knowledge, but
there were a couple of people in the class who had little prior info, and they still
seemed to benefit from the class.  I had taken Earthbounds' Wilderness Medicine Course
previously, and this class built on that knowledge.  With the information I have now,
I'll probably end up taking a class or two at local community colleges to augment &
practice what I learned this weekend.  Wow.  I'm still stunned at the amount of material
I was exposed to.  I'll have to coallate the notes I took and review them in detail.

If you ever get a chance to take Earthbounds Wilderness Med. course, do it.  And if
you have a serious interest in surviving long term disasters, take the Survival med.
course (if it's offered locally again).  What I learned won't go unused either.  I
now know a lot about basic medical treatment, w/ and w/out medicine, and I'll use that
knowledge to my advantage the next time I get sick and visit my doctor.  By being
able to discuss medical issues intelligently, I can get a significantly better level
of treatment from my doctor.

Robert