Surviving the Extremes : What Happens to the Human Body at the Limits of Human Endurance

by Kamler, Kenneth

• ISBN13: 9780143034513
• ISBN10: 0143034510
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-12-28
• Publisher: Penguin Books

Summary

A true-life scientific thriller no reader will forget, Surviving the Extremestakes us to the farthest reaches of the earth as well as into the uncharted territory within the human body, spirit, and brain. A vice president of the legendary Explorers Club, as well as surgeon, explorer, and masterful storyteller, Dr. Kenneth Kamler has spent years discovering what happens to the human body in extreme environmental conditions. Divided into six sections—jungle, high seas, desert, underwater, high altitude, and outer space—this book uses firsthand testimony and documented accounts to investigate the science of what a body goes through and explains why people survive—and why they sometimes don’t.

Author Biography

Dr. Kenneth Kamler is a microsurgeon and the author of Doctor on Everest, his account of being the only physician on Mt. Everest during the Into Thin Air expedition. He has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 48 Hours, and CNN and profiled in The New York Times and USA Today. He was named a -ôbest doctor-ö by New York magazine and lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Prologue in Extremis	1	(16)
Jungle the Most Competitive Arena on Earth	17	(67)
High Seas the Moving Wilderness	84	(40)
Desert the Marathon of Sands	124	(32)
Underwater the Pull of the Deep	156	(27)
High Altitude in the Kingdom of the Gods	183	(53)
Outer Space Going Over the Edge	236	(38)
Conclusion the Will to Survive	274	(19)
Notes and Bibliography	293	(10)
Acknowledgments	303	(8)
Index	311