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Or Perish in the Attempt

Or Perish in the Attempt

The Hardship and Medicine of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

by David J. Peck

Foreword by Moira Ambrose

Published by: Bison Books

360 Pages, 40 illustrations, 1 map, 2 appendixes

Paperback
9780803235113
Published: June 2011

$23.95

BUY

Description
AUTHOR BIO
Praise
TABLE OF CONTENTS

David J. Peck’s Or Perish in the Attempt ingeniously combines the remarkable adventures of Lewis and Clark with an examination of the health problems their expedition faced. Formidable problems indeed, but the author patiently, expertly—and humorously—guides us through the medical travails of the famous journey, juxtaposing treatment then against remedy now. The result is a fascinating book that sheds new light not only on Lewis and Clark and the men and one remarkable woman (and her infant) who accompanied them along an eight-thousand-mile wilderness path but also on the practice of medicine in their time and place.

David J. Peck is a retired physician and a popular, nationally recognized speaker on the medical aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He and his wife live in San Diego. Dr Peck can be contacted through his website @ lewisandclarkmedicine.com.
Moira Ambrose (1939–2009) wrote more than thirty books with her husband, Steven E. Ambrose, including several bestsellers. R. F. “Bob” Morgan is a Montana artist and cofounder of the Western Rendezvous of Art, which brings collectors and artists from around the country to Helena, Montana.

“Altogether revealing, instructive, and entertaining.”—Dave Walter, research historian, Montana Historical Society

“Dr. Peck’s book is significant not only for the new medical information it brings to light but because it is one of the most readable and entertaining of the books about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. When asked which of the many books someone should read about the Expedition—or give as a gift—I recommend Or Perish in the Attempt.”—Carol A. Bronson, former executive director, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc.

“The strength of Dr. Peck’s book is its delightful readability. . . . A splendid narrative that binds the reader.”—Frank Iber, MD, Journal of the American Medical Association

"David Peck has brought a transfusion of new energy to Lewis and Clark scholarship. Everyone who reads his excellent and witty book on the medical aspects of Lewis and Clark will gain a new appreciation for the almost unbelievable stamina of the men--and one very remarkable woman--of the Lewis and Clark Expedition."--Clay S. Jenkinson, scholar-in-residence, Lewis and Clark College

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Politics and Passion: The Exploration of the American Wilderness

Chapter 2 - Meriwether Lewis and William Clark: The Right Stuff of 1803

Chapter 3 - Just Doing the Best We Can: Development of American Medicine 1620-1803

Chapter 4 - Into the Starting Blocks: The Expedition Prepares

Chapter 5 - Misqutrs on the Ohio: The Trip Gets Underway

Chapter 6 - Snakes in the Grass & Bugs in the River: Rattlers and Diarrhea on the Missouri

Chapter 7 - The Sun and Dying Young: A Lucky Streak Ends

Chapter 8 - They Should Have Danced All Night: "Louis Veneri" Joins the Corps

Chapter 9 - Cold Toes and a Baby Boy: Winter with the Mandans