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 2010 reprint features updated medicines, plus information on tuberculosis and HIV, including guidelines for anti-retroviral therapy and preventing HIV in babies.

I have been active training people in wilderness emergency care for some years now, and this is one of the books that I always recommend.

When a friend of mine went to live in Russia (in the Siberia area) I recommended that he take along a paramedic manual and this book. Both books served him well, but he referred to this book much more often.

Overall, for a person who is going to be in a medically isolated area and/or in an area where the general level of health knowledge is low, this is an absolutely outstanding book.

This company also published "Where There Is No Dentist" and "The Village Midwife." Both are excellent. They recently came out with another great book titled "Where Women Have No Doctor." I really like and respect the work these people do.

131 of 134 found the following review helpful:


A Real Life Saver!!!!!  Jan 20, 2004 By Manuel Hernandez
This book is written in very easy to read english. Which is part of its value. Not being in the medical field and if I had to deliver a baby in the bush in Africa I want the book to be written as simply as possible. The drawings are a bit better than stick men but they get the point across. My wife and I lived in West Africa and quite often in the bush. Places where you do not find a doctor and the hospitals are less than our American medicine cabinets. This book has helped through malaria; yellow fever; insect bites; dehydration; water purification; etc. These were areas that we truly faced and the book took us through. Yes, we survived!! If you know anyone in the 3rd. world, do them a great service and get them this book. No missionary or business men to the 3rd. world have any business leaving without this book.

42 of 42 found the following review helpful:


A must for anyone working in international development  Aug 09, 2001 By Stephanie Lindquist
This book is amazing! I worked in Guatemala for around 8 months in community development, with a rural indigenous pueblo. We tried to get in as many doctors as possible, but when that failed, we could always use this book--the diagrams of each disease (especially the skin diseases, prevalent in Central America) helped us to decide how to address each person's health concerns. I only wish there was a copy in K'iche' for the community leaders to have to use!

The forms included in the book for basic check ups and keeping medical records will be helpful in the future when we set up a clinic. I can't emphasize what a straight forward, useful, and practical book this is. If you intend to work anywhere in a developing country, with health or not, you need this book.

38 of 38 found the following review helpful:


Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook  Nov 18, 2007 By S. Steele
This book was designed for primitive health care. It isn't set up to turn the layman into a surgeon.
For what it is; it does an excellent job. A huge block of it has little use here in the states, but there is at least one good tip on every page. Once you move past the political and socioeconomic points, it's a wonderful learning tool.

One thing that is often over looked; Hesperian the publisher distributes this and countless other books for FREE. Their whole philosophy is medicine should be cheap or free and is a world wide entitlement not a privilege.
HINT, HINT go to Hesperian.org and while your at it Google "Ships Captains Medical Guide." This is also a free down load and packed full of good info.

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