This book focuses on burn treatment (as of 2004 when the book was published), and draws on the history of burn treatment to explain current practices. By using examples from history like the Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston, MA, as well as other disasters, and using two current burn cases, the author explains how treatment begins and then continues for weeks, months and even years, and how even though advances have been made, there is much to be learned about burn treatment. The author follows a team of staff at Massachusetts General Hospital, the leading burn treatment center at the time, and gives their perspectives on current treatment options.
I had picked this book up years ago and found it to be a fascinating read. After reading about the Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago, as well as the Our Lady of the Angels Fire, it's really interesting to read about burn treatment. Understanding what happens with a burn, whether it's severe or not, and then all of the things that happen to the body, is interesting, and I found also lent another angle to my understanding of the fire disasters in history that I've read about. I appreciate that the author takes an unflinching look at burn treatment, both from the standpoint of a patient as well as from the standpoint of medical staff. It's also interesting that the author gives present-day information, but also draws in information from history, so you get an understanding of how some of the treatment options have progressed over the years.
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