Boiled ants and goldfish

Press, 7 March 1987, Page 23

Boiled ants and goldfish

The BAB Survival Handbook. By John Wiseman. Collins Harvill, 1986.288 pp, illustrations, $27.23. John Wiseman teaches survival as a habit of mind, After 26 years with Britain's Special Air Service he concludes that the human body has an amazing ability to cope with arduous situations and testing environments. On top of the will to survive he tries to instil knowledge that breeds confidence and dispels fear. Add to that, adequate training — as far as training is possible, and round it off with a small, sensible survival kit. He sets out his advice in this clear

book. The reader may be daunted by the variety of possible disasters that lurk, even in well-ordered Ilves. Along with such exotic possibilities as confrontation with a rhinoceros, for instance, he deals with what to do ’ when the car has stalled on a level crossing and a train is approachinc. He touches on emergency childbirth, and survival in an avalanche, or a nuclear attack. Most readers will select from the sections that seem must likely to apply to them. Almost everything he writes has a bizarre interest, Eating polar bear liver, for instance, can be lethal, All ante should be boiled for six minutes to remove poison. Earthy crops — potatoes and worms — are safer than surface-growing foods after nuclear fall-out. In a crisis, be, prepared to eat your goldfish and drink their water, Melting Ice provider twice as much water, for half as much heat, as does melting snow. “ other booklets, more directly concerned with New Zealand conditions, are available, Few books are as far-reaching in their material, or as practical, as this handbook. ;