Surviving The Extremes

Hi bloggers,
For the book iQuest have to read, I chose Surviving the Extremes by Kenneth Kamler, M.D.. He decided to travel the world to 6 very different and extreme parts of the world to test what would happen to the human body in each extremes. Not only does he talk about the human body, but the techniques and medicine used by people who live in underdeveloped or rural parts of the world. The book is a very interesting and unique read, so I will be able to finish it very easily. I plan to read one chapter every 2 weeks. There are only 6 chapters in the entire book, so I will be able to finish it within the allotted time (January 28th).

In the first chapter, the environment is in the jungle in the Amazon. He talks about how both dangerous but necessary for survival it is in the Amazon. Yes, the Amazon causes heat stroke, is a home for poisonous and dangerous animals, and more, yet it also is a natural pharmacy and has certain poisons needed for hunting. The Amazon is a natural paradox. People in this environment need to keep a constant lookout for the anopheles mosquito (malaria), black caiman, anaconda, venomous snakes, poisonous frogs and caterpillars, schisto worm (liver parasite), stingray, electric eel and a most interesting creature called the candiru. The candiru is a very tiny catfish which looks for a source of salt. When someone or thing urinates in the water, the candiru will follow the stream of urine and lodge itself in the animal’s urethra. Surgery is required to remove it. Another interesting part of the first chapter is how he talks about performing surgery on the leader's son who accidentally cut his own arm with a machete. The human body is remarkable and can block the sensors for pain in nerves so one can get to safety if badly hurt without being hindered with the overwhelming feeling of pain. Once the boy starts getting help from Dr. Kamler, he begins to feel pain once again, and begins screaming in agony. Kamler begins to perform surgery and sews back the nerve together. The boy regains the ability to use his arm shortly after.

In the second chapter, he doesn't put himself in the situation of being stranded in the ocean, but instead talks about how a couple of people were able to survive in the open sea. The world record of someone surviving in the open sea is 130 days without any supplies. The world record winner's name is Poon Lim. To survive, he collected rain, caught fish, and kept moving to prevent bed sores. Methods thought up by other survivors include using improvised solar-powered stoves to distill seawater. The physiology of salt intake, dehydration and starvation are presented along with some cases of on cannibalism at sea.

 The point of the book is to inform the audience about the differences of medicine and technique in different countries of the world and also let the audience know what happens to the body in 6 different extremes. I really enjoy the book because its medical and scientific, yet easy to understand. Readers can be both young or old and still appreciate the content. Also, its interesting to learn about the different extremes in the world.