When I received my copy of Hurt in the mail, I intended to read the introduction and then continue with what I was doing, but before I knew it, I was 50 pages in and didn't want to stop reading! Musemeche really draws the reader in by introducing the reader to a case history and then smoothly transitions to commentary.

I liked the mix of history, stories, case studies and thoughtful discussion of issues facing the treatment of trauma. Musemeche writes about the history of trauma care starting in the Civil War era all the way up to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

People who enjoy books such as Complications or Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance both by Atul Gawande will find this book equally fascinating and written in a simile style. Musemeche's style of writing blends factual information with commentary gleaned from a career in medicine for a fast paced, informative read. ( )

When someone is severely injured in an accident, we expect the speedy arrival of EMTs with a fully equipped ambulance, skilled doctors and nurses at the hospital and state of the art medical equipment. We expect full recovery for almost everyone. Such coordinated efforts only came about very recently. Hurt: The Inspiring, Untold Story of Trauma Care tells the story of how we arrived at our current felicitous situation. Musemeche recounts the many ways we have discovered to harm ourselves (including war, extreme sports, mountain climbing and guns) and the various people, medical and lay, who have contributed to the effort to mitigate those catastrophes.

Trauma care began in that most traumatic of human experiences. Wounded Civil War soldiers, if they were able to get any medical care at all, were most often treated with amputation. The surgeons acted quickly and usually without anesthesia. There was no way to preserve damaged limbs or restore function. Gangrene was a constant danger. War continues to provide the lab in which many medical advancements are made.

The advent of automobiles also contributed to an increasing number of injuries. Accident studies involving roads, intersections and guardrails, seat belts and infant car seats have helped decrease car accident deaths 80% in the last fifty years because we have learned how to interrupt the chain of events that lead to injuries in the first place. This is a surprisingly recent improvement when one considers that "[i]n 1960 only four states had specifications for ambulance design, only six required standard training for rescue personnel, and less than half of all ambulance attendants had received even basic American Red Cross first aid training."

Musemeche covers the improvements in transport by ambulance (originally hearses were often used), later by helicopter (first used in Vietnam) as well as treatments such as CPR, blood transfusions, and prosthetics. The writing is easily accessible and occasionally shines as when Musemeche describes how "bullets tear through the human body, leaving a meandering trail of destruction like a tornado through a trailer park." There are a few minor typos but this one should never have gotten through the editorial process: "Drew continued pushing for equal rights, working to change the pattern of rigid desegregation of the hospitals in Washington." Desegregation would mean the hospitals were integrated, already offering equal care. Overall, this is an absorbing history of the people who have given us a chance to survive death and destruction—people for whom I am personally very thankful. ( )

First, thank you to LibraryThing and U.P.N.E. Publishers for this book to enjoy and review. As a retired Nurse Practitioner, I admire all books medical, and this one was ever-so special to me. Dr. Musemeche did a superb job of covering the history of trauma care beginning back to the Civil War. And what a very complete job she did, reviewing every aspect of trauma, how it occurs so often in very remote areas, what exactly is an “early-response” team, and how it developed over the years. “As long as we are out moving in the world, we will get hurt” as Dr. Musemeche explained. You will enjoy this very factual book covering all aspects of human trauma, where we have been and where we might be headed. Thank you Dr. Musemeche for such a great contribution to the history of trauma care. ( )

“Hurt the Inspiring, Untold Story of Trauma Care” is an unfamiliar and important piece of history told using actual cases and explained with, at times, clinical but often compassionate style. Dr. Musemeche explains how tragedies coupled with several heroes created the trauma care system that saves countless lives today. This is a great read for those interested in medical history. I give the book four stars.

11/16/2016 ( )

This is an absorbing story of the development of emergency medicine from its beginnings on battlefields in the nineteenth century to modern times. I wished there were more in-depth discussions of specific patients, but that wish really reflects only my personal preference. The book is engagingly written and taught me a great deal I hadn't known about this branch of medicine (especially regarding how recently it has come to exist as a specialty as we know it, and how important it is as its own field).