Doctor on Everest by Kenneth Kamler, MD
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.