The Royal College of Surgeons' of England two-day "e;definitive surgical trauma skills course"e; is run by the authors. The course began in 1997 but a new syllabus has recently been put in place.The focus is on thoracic ,abdominal and vascular injuries, caused by both penetrating trauma, such as a knife, and ballistic trauma caused by guns.This Manual accompanies the course and it's aim is to "e;demystify the body"e; and show how to control massive blood loss. Interventions, whether they be military or civilian, are descrbed in full, and techniques derived from the battlefield and world-wide hotspots in trauma -are exemplified within this book.