Book excerpt: Disaster medicine is a broad and dynamic field that encompasses the medical and surgical response to mass casualty incidents including rail, air, and road traffic accidents; domestic terrorism; and pandemic outbreaks. It also encompasses the global issues of conflict and natural catastrophe. Specialists in disaster medicine provide insight, guidance, and expertise on the principles and practice of medicine both in the disaster impact area and healthcare evacuation-receiving facilities. They liaise with emergency management professionals, hospitals, healthcare facilities, communities, and governments. With contributions by international authorities in the field, Making Sense of Disaster Medicine: A Hands-on Guide for Medics is an accessible text designed for all medical students and professionals who may find themselves responding to such incidents. Part of the highly successful Making Sense series, the book features an easy-to-read layout and boxed sections with "learning points," "thinking points," "pearls of wisdom," and "hazards." Each chapter concludes with a summary and list of key resources and case studies further enhance the text.