Book Review

Our American cousins have long since incorporated the management of major trauma into paramedic practice. Indeed, the evolution of trauma networks in this country was based in no small part on the model incorporated on the other side of the great pond. So it is of no surprise that the associated literature has evolved in tandem—witness the 8^th edition of this text.

While celebrating this wealth of material I am, if nothing else, consistent in my review of it, principally that a lot of the literature on trauma needs to be read in conjunction with that which is more specific to the underlying anatomy and physiology. And so it is with this. Highlighting procedures and techniques is one thing, understanding

Why they are performed is another entirely. It is not unreasonable for a paramedic to have to read widely on a subject as diverse and complicated as trauma, yet the authors have still managed to capture most aspects of major trauma in this volume.