Rural Health Books

Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook

Jane Maxwell, Carol Thuman, David Werner, Carol Thuman, Jane Maxwell

Amazon Price: $19.80 List Price: $22.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Hesperian Foundation Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $19.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 58 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wannabe practitioner beware 2 out of 5 stars.
22 of 28 people found this review helpful.

I will admit that while I lived in West Africa, I had a copy of Where There Is No Doctor on my shelf, and that I consulted it on a frequent basis. As a public health worker, it was an invaluable resource at the time. However, this was not the only book I had on hand, and I certainly didn't view it as the Medical Bible that so many cavalier explorers think it is. The simple fact is, unless you have adequate training to perform any sort of diagnosis or treatment, YOU SHOULD NOT DO SO, and you will probably do more harm than good. This book DOES NOT make you a medical professional to any degree whatsoever. It is also filled with horrible ideas that "might work" (that is a direct quote). Teaching people to rinse out condoms (as the French Language version suggests) or using bisected lemons as impromptu cervical caps is dangerous and totally irresponsible. There is no way in hell anyone who has simply leafed through this book is ready to deliver a baby. That is ridiculous. Sure, most of the time a mother will pretty much deliver her baby herself, but if something goes wrong, and you don't have the experience, you little tour into obstetrics is likely to kill the mother and/or the child.
There is enough misinformation in the rural areas of the developing world already, and this book has the potential to take lives. Even in the most dire of situations, untrained yahoos should not be tempted into thinking that they can diagnose even the simplest of bacterial infections and prescribe the proper antibiotic.
Another thing that this book does is take cultural health information that has evolved amongst native peoples, and it simplifies it so that other people can "try" it. There is a scarily simple illustration of a technique for circumcision in this book that has the potential to lead to the loss of a little boy's penis. In cultures where circumcision is practiced there is (almost) always a dedicated practitioner who performs such rites, and either has done hundreds (or thousands) of them, or has studied under the previous practitioner as an apprentice. i.e. this person is practiced, and has experience. This person is NEVER some wiseguy who got a copy of Where There is No Doctor from a friend, along with a rusty pair of scissors. Trying to circumcise a boy with the helpful sketch provided by this book would be ludicrous. God forbid some charlatan gets ahold of this book and comes to the great idea that he should be his village's "doctor." Many of the techniques in this book must be performed in an aseptic manner to reduce the chance of infection, but they are not done in such a manner in the book.
That being said, the book can be a powerful tool for public health workers who do not have a strong background in clinical medicine. But it must be used cautiously, with supplemental information. There are innumerable fallacies in this book, and the author has taken little care to edit it. I'm sure the man means well, but really what he's done is reassure people who've watched too much ER that they can be doctors too.
Honestly, the book should be re-edited, and many of the techniques should be removed, as they have the potential to cause more harm than good. If you want to help the developing world, support the local Ministry of Health, and empower them to either place trained nurses in the area, or to sponsor traditional healers and midwives to get the vital bits of training they need, training that can bridge the gaps in their significant knowledge base. Proper health networks are not built by medical tourists and short-stay medical missionaries who want to play doctor. They are constructed from the inside by countries who have people working to distribute resources and fight against corruption. If you want to help, pick up a few bags of cement and build a village health center that can be kept clean, but don't pick up a syringe and act like you know what you're doing.

Editorial Review:

Hesperian's classic manual, Where There Is No Doctor, is perhaps the most widely-used health care manual in the world.

Useful for health workers, clinicians, and others involved in primary health care delivery and health promotion programs, with millions of copies in print in more than 75 languages, the manual provides practical, easily understood information on how to diagnose, treat, and prevent common diseases. Special attention is focused on mutrition, infection and disease prevention, and diagnostic techniques as primary ways to prevent and treat health problems.

This 2007 reprint includes new material on preventing the transmission of blood-borne diseases, how HIV/AIDS is reflected in many health issues, and basic Antiretroviral treatment information, as well as updated information on children and aspirin, stomach ulcers, hepatitis, and malaria treatments.

Where There Is No Dentist

Murray Dickson

Amazon Price: $12.60 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Hesperian Foundation Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $9.99

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> Globalization

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A great book 5 out of 5 stars.
36 of 43 people found this review helpful.

Too bad there are'nt more writer's of the same mind, filling in the gap between costly expertise andlayman srticture. The book is a well-balanced workbetween hand drawn illustrationsand simple, succinct text, explaining procedures for teeth cleaning,pulling, simple filling, brokenteeth, etc., to the uneducated, 3rd -worldvillage healthcare worker, anddescribes how to construct the necessary instruments and materialsout of what bits can be found at hand, for all the procedures. At one end, we pay for the dentist's scent & muzak, at the other, with this book, they discardthe intervening fluff and tripeand get something done themslves. Actually, the book deals with poorer standards than readersanywhere else would like to seeaddressed.

An excellant book for those traveling in the wilderness. 4 out of 5 stars.
28 of 31 people found this review helpful.

Where there is no Dentist by Murray Dickson is an excellant book for those traveling in remore areas of the world. Information in the book will allow the non dental care person to give emergency care to those they may come in contact with in third world countries as well as themselves or companions. This book and a small dental kit will get one through the journey and back to civilization with reduced or "cured" pain fron the dental demons.

Just and Lasting Change: When Communities Own Their Futures

Daniel Taylor, Carl E. Taylor

Amazon Price: $19.75 List Price: $21.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The Johns Hopkins University Press Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $12.20

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Economic Policy & Development
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Natural Resources

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Just and Lasting Change presents how to transform communities rapidly and inlocally appropriate ways. Daniel Taylor-Ide and Carl Taylor have been present at key events and worked with key thinkers in dealing with the large forces of inequity, environmental change, and globalization. The approach they have synthesized builds on what has worked over the last century -- and can now be implemented rapidly and cost-effectively in many parts of the world. It relies on a three-way partnership of "bottom-up" initiatives from the community level, "top-down" support from government agencies, and "outside-in" ingenuity and objectivity from experts. Based on both a diverse range of case studies -- from the earliest attempts to promote social development in India a century ago to current efforts in Tibet, the Peruvian Andes, China, and the American Southwest -- and engaging personal experiences, this book describes, step-by-step, how SEED-SCALE can be effectively implemented.

With contributions from leading international experts in community-based development and public health, Just and Lasting Change offers a hopeful description of how people have made a difference in diverse communities around the world and a practical, accessible handbook for those trying to improve the quality of life in underdeveloped communities everywhere.

Donde no hay doctor

Carol Thurman and Jane Maxwell

Amazon Price: $18.00 List Price: $20.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Hesperian Foundation Amazon Marketplace: 9 new & used starting at $14.37

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Subjects -> Medicine -> Internal Medicine
Subjects -> Medicine -> Specialties -> Emergency Medicine

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hesperian's classic manual, Donde no hay doctor (Where There Is No Doctor in Spanish), is perhaps the most widely used health care manual for health workers, clinicians, and others involved in primary health care delivery and health promotion programs around the world. With millions of copies in print in more than 70 languages, the book is an irreplaceable health resource in communities worldwide.

As with all Hesperian books, the manual provides practical, easily understood information on how to diagnose, treat, and prevent common diseases. Special attention is focused on nutrition, infection and disease prevention, as well as the use of diagnostic techniques as primary ways to prevent and treat health problems.

The 2007 version of Donde no hay doctor includes updated information on preventing the transmission of blood-borne diseases, how HIV/AIDS is reflected in many health issues, and basic Antiretroviral treatment information, as well as updated information on children and aspirin, stomach ulcers, hepatitis, and malaria treatments.

Lifebuoy Men, Lux Women: Commodification, Consumption, and Cleanliness in Modern Zimbabwe (Body, Commodity, Text)

Timothy Burke

Amazon Price: $21.55 List Price: $23.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Duke University Press Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $7.24

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Subjects -> History -> Africa -> Zimbabwe

Editorial Review:

How do people come to need products they never even knew they wanted? How, for example, did indigenous Zimbabweans of the 1940s begin to believe that they required Lifebuoy soap? Offering a glimpse into the intimate workings of modern colonialism and global capitalism, Timothy Burke takes up these questions in Lifebuoy Men, Lux Women, a study of post-World War II commodity culture in Zimbabwe.
With particular attention to cosmetic products and the contrast between colonial and pre-colonial ideas of cleanliness, Burke examines the role played by commodity culture, changing patterns of consumption, and the spread of advertising in the making of modern Zimbabwe. His work combines history, anthropology, and political economy to show how the development of commodification in the region relates to the social history of hygiene. Within this framework, and drawing on a wide variety of historical sources, Burke explores dense interactions between commodity culture and embodied aspects of race, gender, sexuality, domesticity, health, and aesthetics in a colonial society. Rather than viewing the production of needs simply as an imposition from above, Lifebuoy Men, Lux Women shows what heterogeneous and complex processes, involving the aims and histories of both colonizers and colonized, produced these changes in Zimbabwean society.
Integrating political economy, cultural studies, and a wide range of the social sciences, Lifebuoy Men, Lux Women will find readers among scholars of colonialism, African history, and ethnography as well those for whom the problem of commodification is a significant theoretical issue.

Rural Behavioral Health Care: An Interdisciplinary Guide

Amazon Price: $29.95 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: American Psychological Association (APA) Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $18.00

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> Applied Psychology

Editorial Review:

Rural Behavioral Health Care discusses the needs and resources of the often overlooked individuals who live in rural and frontier areas. These areas of the country frequently lack sufficient services to meet their residents' health care needs. Federal policies, intended to offer relief to rural and frontier areas, are often developed from urban models. As a result, they may not be as effective at reducing health disparities as had been hoped. This edited volume presents a comprehensive analysis of the public and federal policy, clinical trends, and empirical literature that are relevant to the provision of behavioral health care services in rural and frontier areas. Chapter contributors are leading experts from different professional disciplines, such as family medicine, public health, psychology, nursing, and social work. The book examines the economic and social problems of rural and frontier areas, collaborative methods for service delivery, and the specific needs of special populations. It explains the unique cultural characteristics of rural areas compared with urban areas and also offers a detailed look at the differences between frontier and rural areas. The book successfully unites a broad spectrum of information and elucidates the distinctive health care challenges service providers and residents of rural and frontier areas face.

Where There Is No Midwife: Birth and Loss in Rural India (Fertility, Reproduction & Sexuality) (Fertility, Reproduction, and Sexuality)

Sarah Pinto

Amazon Price: $66.42 List Price: $90.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Berghahn Books Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $64.94

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Editorial Review:

By following the daily lives of rural women in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh, an agricultural region with high rates of infant mortality, where maternal health services are poor while family planning efforts are intensive, from a range of castes and communities, the author considers the women s own experiences of birth and infant death, their ways of making-do, and the hierarchies they create and contend with. This book develops an approach to access to care that focuses on emotion, domestic spaces, illicit and extra-institutional biomedicine, and household and neighborly relations. It shows that, as part of the concatenation of affect and access, globalized moralities about reproduction are dependent on ambiguous ideas about caste. Through the unfolding of birth and death, a new vision of untouchability emerges that is integral to visions of progress.

Rural Women's Health: Mental, Behavioral, and Physical Issues

Amazon Price: $60.00 List Price: $60.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Springer Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $56.69

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Editorial Review:

Rural Women's Health encompasses the breadth and depth of the unique physical and psychological needs facing rural women throughout the United States and Canada, and identifies positive interventions and outcomes. Raymond T. Coward, founding editor of The Journal of Rural Health, along with five leading practitioners and researchers with contributions from over 25 educators, authors, program leaders, and researchers representing the multidisciplinary spectrum of rural health professionals, present the most comprehensive coverage on rural women's health that exists today.

Key issues covered include:


• Socio-cultural stressors
• Policy changes
• Barriers to accessing mental health treatment
• Obesity and risk factors
• Behavioral risk factors
• Chronic diseases
• Exercise, nutrition, and health promotion programs
• Education and telehealth

This is a valuable resource for mental health service providers, gerontologists, social workers, psychologists, counselors, and primary care physicians.

Agricultural Medicine: Occupational and Environmental Health for the Health Professions

Kelley J., M.S., D.V.M. Donham, Anders, M.D.,Ph.D. Thelin

Amazon Price: $99.99 List Price: $99.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley-Blackwell Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $50.00

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Agricultural
Subjects -> Medicine -> Administration & Policy -> Health Care Delivery

Editorial Review:

Agricultural employment is plagued with one of the highest levels of mortality among occupational groups in the United States, making the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, and farm residents a leading priority for epidemiologists, occupational health and safety professionals, rural health providers, public health practitioners, and extension agents and educators.

Satisfying a growing need for a textbook on this significant aspect of public health, Agricultural Medicine is the first comprehensive textbook and reference for students of public health and health professionals in the field of rural medicine. Agricultural health and safety engages a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals, engineers, sociologists, epidemiologists, and psychologists for whom this book is an overdue yet essential reference.

The authors bring a combined 60 years of practice, research, teaching, and scholarship in agricultural medicine to the design and content of this book. Their farm background and ownership add practicality and relevancy to their presentation. An overview of the industry and workforce—agricultural production in the global economy, demographics of the workforce, regulations, statistics, and organizations targeting agricultural health and safety—provides context for the broad but thorough coverage of diseases, infectious and toxic agents, and potential injuries to which agricultural populations are exposed daily.

Critical Issues In Rural Health

Amazon Price: $79.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley-Blackwell Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $47.00

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Editorial Review:

A large sector of the United States (U.S.) population. About 22 percent of Americans, approximately 55 million people, are considered "rural" residents. Rural people have a unique set of health issues; they experience social, cultural, and economic disadvantages that can increase their risk for adverse health consequences.

The first text of its kind, Critical Issues in Rural Health, provides comprehensive sociological study of rural health and health care trends in the United States, by examining the health and well-being of rural populations at all stages of life. Editors Glasgow, Morton, and Johnson present integrative reviews of theory and research on rural health issues, with the most up-to-date statistics of empirical research. This informative and groundbreaking text goes beyond the scope of previous studies and emphasizes differences between rural and urban areas in health and health care. Surprisingly little research has examined the differences in disability and morality rates by residence or degree of rurality-this book does. In additon, contributing authors report on the impact of age or life stage, race and ethnicity, social class, rural occupations, and community structure on various health issues.