James E. Lessenger – författare

This practical guide provides family physicians with a single comprehensive resource on rural and agricultural medicine. Readers are introduced to the characteristics of the agricultural environment and the hazards that farm workers face. The full spectrum of injuries and conditions unique to the field is covered, including chemical injuries, orthopedic conditions, infectious diseases, plant related diseases, bites, and environmental injuries. This clinical text goes beyond the treatment of injuries and highlights prevention. The content is current and reflects changing agricultural practices, including advances in the use of safety equipment and in physical and biological monitoring. Useful tables clearly present key information. With a combined focus on treatment and prevention, the book is an indispensable reference for family physicians who care for patients in rural and agricultural areas. The text stands out because it is both comprehensive and practice based.

I’ve done them all, and I’m not talking about stage, screen, and television. I stopped taking drugs in the 1970s and stopped smoking in the 1980s. I ceased drinking in the 1990s when I needed a liver transplant and my doctors told me they wouldn’t do it if I continued drinking. So, I stopped, got the transplant, and became a friend of Bill W. Stopping was the best thing I ever did, second to marrying Maj. My substance abuse started, like most people’s, in high school through peer pressure. It progressed while I was on the stage and in the Air Force, where alcohol was the drug of choice. The problem continued as I worked in motion pictures where the day ended with drinks. When I ? nally made it big in television, I was drinking a case of champagne a day. I tell myself that I did this because of my insecurities about being at the top, but it also tasted good. Looking back and having read some of the things in this book, I realize that I have the addictive personality and the genetic predisposition to be a substance abuser. All that was necessary was a situation in which I was near drugs and had peer pressure to get me going.

The reader of this volume will experience a voyage of discovery with one of the finest guides available. James E. Lessenger has combined experience in private practice, preventive medicine, and public service in California’s San Joaquin Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. His experience and selection of chapter authors is, in every sense, a contri- tion to illuminating the art and science of agromedicine. As one examines the table of contents, one is impressed by the range of topics and the importance of each concern. Covering both injury prevention and environmental h- ards, this innovative work is a practical guide for the family physician wo- ing in a rural area. The contents demonstrate the vitality of agromedicine and the vision and insight of the authors. The chapters on farm chemicals provide thorough information about the many types of chemicals commonly used in the farm environment, how they are applied, and the principles of diagnosis and management for family physicians treating patients for toxic chemical exposure. These chapters underscore the fact that the use of farm chemicals is one of the things resp- sible for the increase in worldwide agricultural production and that risks can be managed through preventive measures. The Agricultural Medicine represents a benchmark in the evolution of a concept begun in South Carolina over two decades ago called agromedicine.

I stopped taking drugs in the 1970s and stopped smoking in the 1980s. I ceased drinking in the 1990s when I needed a liver transplant and my doctors told me they wouldn’t do it if I continued drinking. The problem continued as I worked in motion pictures where the day ended with drinks.