The Dressing Station is a searing portrait of devastation on the
battlefield that illuminates the consequences of war and the ambiguities
of relief work at a time when these issues couldn't matter more.
(Caroline Fraser, Outside) From treating the casualties of apartheid in
Cape Town to operating on Kurdish guerrillas in northern Iraq at the end
of the Gulf War, Jonathan Kaplan has saved (and lost) lives in the
remotest corners of the world in the most extreme conditions. He has
been a hospital surgeon, a ship's physician, an air-ambulance doctor,
and a trauma surgeon. He has worked in locations as diverse as England,
Burma, Eritrea, the Amazon, Mozambique, and the United States. In this
story of unforgettable adventure and tragedy, Dr. Kaplan explores the
great challenge of his career -- to maintain his humanity even when that
option does not seem possible. The Dressing Station is a haunting and
elucidating look into the nature of human violence, the shattering
contradictions of war, and the complicated role of medicine in this
modern world. A unique mix of biography and reportage, both personal and
clinical, it is a rare insight into the mind of a surgeon. -- Sue
Cullinan, Time Eloquent ... Beautifully written ... Provides a startling
glimpse of battlefield surgery in those conflicts that CNN does not
cover. -- Abraham Verghese, The New York Times Book Review Kaplan ...
has a keen sense of the smaller moments that leaven the agonies of daily
life. -- Julian B. Orenstein, The Washington Post
