Book excerpt: This thoroughly updated edition, considered the 'bible' in this field since 1969, offers in-depth coverage of the physiological basis of safe diving and the pathogenesis of diving illnesses; the clinical diagnosis and management of diving disorders; and current equipment design and its practical clinical applications. Also covered is a current understanding of central nervous system pathology, contemporary decompression theories, and state-of-the-art treatment protocols for decompression, drowning and hypothermia.