There is a series of medical and dental books for the layman that put things in an absolute simple manner and I would recommend this book first:<br><br>Where There Is No Doctor: A village health care handbook.<br>The Hesperian Foundation, Palo Alto, California<br>by David Werner<br><br>Both of these books are written for the non-medically trained captain to provide care for the ship's company. They tend to be somewhat dated, as they are government produced. I do not have a copy of either of these, but have read parts of both.<br><br>The Ship Captain's Medical Guide , 21st edition, <br>British government document, HMSO: Department of Trade.<br><br>International Medical Guide for Ships (including the ship's medical chest) 2nd edition, from the World Health Organization<br> <br>I have seen several of the others in bookstores, but cannot comment on one being better than another. I would try a library or look on Amazon for reviewer's ratings.<br><br>It is difficult to find a good reference that is suitable for a lay person, as many of the things we learn as physicians are learned in the "Army way" of "see one, do one, teach one" and it is difficult to provide guidance for the amateur that will meet everyone's needs yet not be too advanced nor too elementary.<br><br>Let me know what you find!