Drug Prescribing In Anaesthesia And Intensive Care

Some books whisper politely from the shelf. Others bark instructions. And then there’s Drug Prescribing in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care (1996), which sits somewhere in between like a calm, bespectacled consultant quietly explaining how not to accidentally kill anyone today.

Written by Henry G. W. Paw and Gilbert R. Park, this is one of those reassuringly serious little volumes that reminds you the human body is essentially a bag of chemistry waiting to go wrong—and that someone, somewhere, has thoughtfully tabulated the correct response. Originally designed as a compact, practical guide for clinicians dealing with the critically ill, it offers clear instructions on how to use drugs safely and efficiently when things are already very much not safe or efficient.

And yet, here it is, decades later, slightly foxed, faintly creased, and now living a second life via Crappy Old Books—less a cutting-edge clinical manual and more a time capsule of 1990s medical confidence. This is an era when infusion rates were calculated with pen and paper, pharmacology felt almost philosophical, and the phrase “quick reference guide” still implied a reassuring heft rather than an app.

Inside, you’ll find everything you need to stabilise a failing body—sedatives, cardiovascular drugs, antimicrobials, the whole orchestra of controlled substances lined up like obedient soldiers. It’s a book built for urgency: a grab-it-now, flip-it-fast companion for doctors, nurses, and anyone else trying to keep the lights on (literally and metaphorically) in intensive care.

Of course, in 2026, its clinical advice has been overtaken by shinier, newer, more algorithmically confident successors. But that’s part of the charm. Owning this copy is less about modern medicine and more about appreciating a moment when knowledge was printed, indexed, and trusted to stay still. It’s the literary equivalent of an old crash trolley: slightly outdated, faintly intimidating, but undeniably built with purpose.

Condition: Fair—which feels entirely appropriate. A book about keeping people alive has clearly lived a bit itself.

Perfect for:

• Medical nostalgists
• Collectors of obscure, quietly authoritative textbooks
• Anyone who enjoys the faint irony of owning a life-saving manual you absolutely should not rely on

Or, put another way: if you’ve ever wanted a pocket-sized reminder that modern medicine is equal parts precision, panic, and paperwork—this is it.

Has a name on the book block fore-edge.

Keep browsing: See more Academic books Other books by Henry GW Paw and Gilbert R Park