Doctor on Everest

by Dr. Kenneth Kamler (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $3.25

  Centring on the disastrous 1996 ascents of Everest, Doctor on Everest is a compelling portrait of how medicine is performed and lives are saved - or lost - in perilous conditions. During the multi-expedition climbing attempt on the summit in May of that year, conditions on the mountain rapidly deteriorated, and a desperate medical situation suddenly emerged. Kamler describes in sharp detail what life was like on Everest - how he negotiated his dual role as doctor and climber, the difficult separation from home and family to pursue a lifelong dream, and the effects of fear, stress and adrenaline on the entire group. But nothing could have prepared Dr Kamler for what occurred in May 1996. As conditions worsened he was presented with cases which would have been difficult to attend to in the best of circumstances - including Makalu Gau, who was found barely alive in the snow, and Beck Weathers, who was pronounced dead but later miraculously stumbled into camp clinging to life. Written with sensitivity and poignancy throughout, Doctor on Everest reveals a deep understanding of what it takes for the human body and mind to function at high altitudes.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2001

  $6.81

  Centering on the 1996 climb, in which Dr Kenneth Kamler played a crucial role aiding many survivors of that disastrous ascent, Doctor On Everest is the never-before-seen portrait of how medicine is performed and lives are saved - or lost - in perilous conditions. Dr Kamler was no stranger to mountain climbing, he'd been on three previous Everest expeditions, but nothing had prepared him for what he would face on this attempt at the summit. Through this intimate first-person account Kamler describes, in fascinating detail, what life was like on the mountain. But, as conditions on the mountain rapidly deteriorated the medical situation soon became desperate. He was faced with dire cases that would have been difficult to attend to under the best of circumstances - including the treatment of climber Beck Weathers, who miraculously stumbled into camp after being presumed dead. Kamler also recalls the effects of fear, stress and adrenaline on the entire group; as the only physician present on the mountain he was uniquely privy to these raw displays of humanity. Doctor on Everest reveals a deeper understanding of what it takes for the human body and mind to function at high altitudes.