{"product_id":"extreme-medicine-kevin-fong-9781594204708","title":"Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century | Kevin Fong","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"font-family: inherit; color: #333; line-height: 1.6;\"\u003e\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: 500; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2c3e50;\"\u003eLittle more than one hundred years ago, maps of the world still contained uncharted territories. As humans conquered hostile environments, medicine underwent a parallel transformation—taking routinely fatal conditions and making them survivable. In \u003cstrong\u003eExtreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century\u003c\/strong\u003e, physician, intensive care expert, and NASA adviser \u003cstrong\u003eDr. Kevin Fong\u003c\/strong\u003e explores how probing physical extremes directly drove modern medical breakthroughs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 20px;\"\u003eBook Overview \u0026amp; Core Themes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eDrawing on firsthand clinical experience in anesthesia, trauma care, and space medicine, Dr. Fong illustrates how human survival at the outer edge of endurance has redefined our understanding of physiology. The book connects polar expeditions to open-heart surgery, battlefield trauma to skin grafts and reconstructive surgery, and deep-sea or space exploration to advances in artificial ventilation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and modern ICUs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eKey areas examined within this work include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cul style=\"padding-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003eHow physiological lessons from polar, deep-sea, and space exploration shaped hospital ICUs and trauma units.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003eThe development of open-heart surgery, artificial heart-lung machines, and burn reconstruction.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003eBody states under severe stress: massive blood loss, profound hypothermia, cardiac arrest, and microgravity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003eThe intersection of human endurance, avant-garde science, and the boundary between life and death.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003c\/ul\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDr. Kevin Fong\u003c\/strong\u003e is a British consultant anesthetist at University College London Hospital, an expert in space medicine, and an acclaimed science broadcaster. Holding degrees in astrophysics, medicine, and astronautics, Dr. Fong has worked alongside NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, focusing on human spaceflight physiology and survival in extreme environments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eCore Audience \u0026amp; Intended Use\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003cul style=\"padding-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMedical Professionals \u0026amp; Clinicians:\u003c\/strong\u003e An engaging look at the historical roots of emergency medicine, intensive care, and physiological science.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHistory of Science \u0026amp; Exploration Readers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Essential reading for fans of popular science and tales of polar, aviation, and space exploration.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGeneral Non-Fiction Enthusiasts:\u003c\/strong\u003e A gripping narrative balancing clinical anecdotes with the limits of human survival.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003c\/ul\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eProduct Specifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-top: 15px; font-size: 0.95em;\"\u003e\n      \u003ctbody\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left; width: 35%;\"\u003eFull Title\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eExtreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eAuthor(s)\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eKevin Fong\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003ePublisher \u0026amp; Imprint\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003ePenguin Press\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003ePublication Date\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eFebruary 6, 2014\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eBinding Format\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eHardcover (HC)\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003ePrint Length\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003e304 Pages\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eLanguage\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eEnglish\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eISBN-13 \/ ISBN-10\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003e9781594204708 \/ 1594204705\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003ePrimary Genre (BISAC)\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eMED085000 \/ MEDICAL \/ History\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eSub-Genres (BISAC)\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eMED039000 \/ EMERGENCY MEDICINE; HIS058000 \/ EXPEDITIONS; SCI027000 \/ HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eItem Condition\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003ePre-Owned \/ Very Good\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eDimensions \u0026amp; Weight\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003e6.15 x 1.10 x 9.30 inches | 17.6 oz (approx. 1.10 lbs)\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n    \u003c\/table\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eFrequently Asked Questions About Extreme Medicine\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eWhat is the central thesis and historical narrative of Extreme Medicine by Kevin Fong?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eIn Extreme Medicine, physician and space medicine expert Dr. Kevin Fong explores how pushing the physical limits of human survival—at the deep sea floor, the highest mountain peaks, outer space, and intense trauma centers—directly drove the technological breakthroughs of modern medicine in the 20th century. Fong argues that modern intensive care, life support systems, and trauma surgery exist because doctors and researchers learned how to keep human bodies alive in environments where life was previously impossible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eHow does the book connect polar expeditions, spaceflight, and deep-sea diving to modern hospital ICUs and trauma units?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eThe book traces how physiological lessons learned in extreme environments were adapted for clinical medicine. Fong details how Antarctic exploration improved our understanding of hypothermia and frostbite treatment, how aviation and spaceflight missions pioneered cardiac monitoring and artificial ventilation, and how deep-sea hyperbaric research led to breakthroughs in oxygen therapy. These extreme trials paved the way for modern Intensive Care Units (ICUs), burn units, and organ transplantation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eWhat physiological limits and medical breakthroughs are highlighted across the chapters?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eDr. Fong takes readers through critical frontiers of human physiology, detailing extreme body states such as severe trauma, massive blood loss, profound hypothermia, cardiac arrest, and weightlessness. He covers landmark medical milestones, including the development of open-heart surgery, artificial heart-lung machines, space medicine protocols, and burn reconstruction techniques developed during World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eHow is this volume evaluated by medical historians, clinicians, and science literature readers?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eThe work is widely praised across medical humanities, history of science, and general non-fiction. Readers and medical professionals value Dr. Fong's ability to blend vivid historical storytelling, cutting-edge physiological science, and firsthand clinical anecdotes from emergency medicine, framing human endurance and medical innovation as deeply interconnected pursuits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eWhat unique professional credentials, space agency experience, and clinical expertise define Dr. Kevin Fong?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eDr. Kevin Fong is a British consultant anesthetist at University College London Hospital, an expert in space medicine, and a science broadcaster. Holding degrees in astrophysics, medicine, and astronautics, Dr. Fong has worked alongside NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, focusing on human spaceflight physiology and medical operations in extreme environments, establishing him as a premier voice on the physiological limits of survival.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003c!-- BDB DISCLAIMER --\u003e\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #f4f6f8; border-left: 3px solid #2c3e50;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eCondition Notice: Pre-Owned \/ Second-Hand Product\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll books, box sets, and multi-volume collections\u003c\/strong\u003e offered by Bust-Down Books are sold in pre-owned, used, and second-hand condition, unless explicitly designated as new in the individual product listing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Details \u0026amp; Grading:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cul style=\"padding-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrevious Ownership:\u003c\/strong\u003e These items have been previously owned, handled, and read. As such, copies may exhibit typical signs of shelf wear, including but not limited to minor creasing, scuffing, edge wear, bent page corners, remainder marks, or spine softening. Hardcover editions may show minor dust jacket wear, edge chipping, or board rubbing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMarkings \u0026amp; Personalization:\u003c\/strong\u003e Items may occasionally contain inscriptions, library stamps, owner names, marginalia, or highlighting. Individual item descriptions reflect significant deviations from standard acceptable condition.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSupplemental Materials:\u003c\/strong\u003e Secondary and digital components—such as publisher access codes, CD-ROMs, bonus inserts, registration keys, or workbook activity pages—are not guaranteed to be included, active, or unredeemed unless specifically stated in the product description.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst Sale Doctrine \u0026amp; Non-Affiliation Statement:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eAll items sold on this platform are original, lawfully acquired copies being resold under the protection of the First Sale Doctrine (codified under U.S. copyright law, 17 U.S.C. § 109, and applicable international equivalents permitting the secondary resale of lawfully manufactured goods).\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eBust-Down Books, LTD. is an independent, secondary-market bookseller. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, authorized by, or sponsored by the original authors, copyright holders, publishers, or trademark owners of the titles offered for sale. All registered trademarks, author names, book titles, and publisher imprints remain the sole property of their respective owners and are used strictly for nominative identification and descriptive purposes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@graph\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": [\"Product\", \"Book\"],\n      \"name\": \"Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century\",\n      \"author\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Person\",\n          \"name\": \"Kevin Fong\"\n        }\n      ],\n      \"isbn\": \"9781594204708\",\n      \"sameAs\": \"1594204705\",\n      \"bookFormat\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/Hardcover\",\n      \"numberOfPages\": 304,\n      \"publisher\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n        \"name\": \"Penguin Press\"\n      },\n      \"datePublished\": \"2014-02-06\",\n      \"inLanguage\": \"en\",\n      \"image\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0855\/2077\/7531\/files\/9781594204708.jpg?v=1793519679\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/bustdownbooks.com\/products\/extreme-medicine-kevin-fong-9781594204708\",\n      \"offers\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Offer\",\n        \"priceCurrency\": \"USD\",\n        \"price\": \"3.99\",\n        \"availability\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/InStock\",\n        \"itemCondition\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/UsedCondition\"\n      },\n      \"about\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n          \"name\": \"MED085000 \/ MEDICAL \/ History\"\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n          \"name\": \"MED039000 \/ MEDICAL \/ Emergency Medicine\"\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n          \"name\": \"HIS058000 \/ HISTORY \/ Expeditions \u0026 Discoveries\"\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n          \"name\": \"SCI027000 \/ SCIENCE \/ Life Sciences \/ Human Anatomy \u0026 Physiology\"\n        }\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n      \"mainEntity\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"What is the central thesis and historical narrative of Extreme Medicine by Kevin Fong?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"In Extreme Medicine, physician and space medicine expert Dr. Kevin Fong explores how pushing the physical limits of human survival—at the deep sea floor, the highest mountain peaks, outer space, and intense trauma centers—directly drove the technological breakthroughs of modern medicine in the 20th century. 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