Six years have passed since the first edition of Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine was published. Those 6 years have not been peaceful: conflict has continued in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and the Middle East. Terrorist attacks have continued around the world and London has had its first experience of suicide bombings. The landscape for humanitarian work is dangerous and challenging. The aim of this second edition is in line with the first edition – to provide an ent- level resource for people working (or considering work) in a hostile environment. Contributors with real hard one practical experience have been invited to share their views, and they do this with a raw honesty in a variety of writing styles. The second edition of Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine has benefited from these contributions, and we hope our prospective readers will do so as well. The book editors are donating their royalties from this book to the charity “Help for Heroes’. Adriaan Hopperus Buma Alan Hawley David G. Burris James M. Ryan Peter F. Mahoney v Preface to the First Edition This work is intended as an entry-level text aimed at medical, nursing and pa- medical staff undertaking work in a hostile environment.
