PHILADELPHIA, June 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Auerbach adds chapters on global humanitarian relief, disaster medicine and wilderness sustainability

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced that Paul S. Auerbach, MD, one of the world's leading authorities on wilderness medicine, has teamed up with Benjamin Constance, MD, and Luanne Freer, MD, to release a new edition of the Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine (4th ed., Elsevier 2013).

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Based on Auerbach's critically acclaimed text Wilderness Medicine (6th ed., Elsevier 2012), the Field Guide provides fast-access solutions and practical advice for medical situations that can occur in non-traditional settings. A portable paperback, the Field Guide is written for the medical community but is understandable to many lay readers.

Among the new chapters in this fourth edition is one about global humanitarian relief and disaster medicine. The chapter discusses the challenges of clinical practice and safety in these situations, offering guidance on how to approach a terrorist attack, natural disasters, and hostage situations.

Readers will also find a new chapter on sustainable practices to follow when in the wilderness. As an avid outdoorsman whose recent activities include an expedition in Nepal to visit the Everest ER medical clinic at a base camp created by Dr. Freer, Auerbach is committed to maintaining the wilderness regions of the world. In this chapter, he reviews "Leave No Trace" principles and advises the best ways to safely and sustainably enjoy the outdoors.

"I hope that you take the time to better understand the challenges imposed by humans upon our planet," writes Auerbach in the preface. "To preserve the wilderness, we each must fulfill our responsibilities to understand global environmental science and be proactive in preserving the landscape."

Other chapters cover topics such as high-altitude medicine, foot problems and survival kit suggestions for various settings and patient populations. Complete with line drawings and color plates, this invaluable compact guide can be tucked away in a kayak or backpack or accessed on a mobile device, ready to be consulted in the event of a wilderness medical emergency.

Auerbach is the Redlich Family Professor of Surgery in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a true founder of the medical specialty of Wilderness Medicine. He is also author of Medicine for the Outdoors (5th ed., Elsevier, 2009).

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Elsevier Author Dr. Paul Auerbach Updates Popular Book: Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine