Take Two Aspirin and Call Me at 20,000 Feet: An Eagle Scout at the Crossroads of Medicine, Exploration, and Science

In his own words, modern-day explorer Dr. Michael Manyak transports thrill seekers to the farthest reaches of the earth, from the dense forests of the Congo Basin to the icy expanses of Antarctica.

While many may crave adventures around the globe, they are unlikely to experience anywhere near the many escapades that Dr. Michael Manyak has had during his prolific career. From his tropical medical training in the Philippines to his stints as the expedition doctor on hikes deep in the Andes and in a submersible to the Titanic wreck site, the author has made the combination of medicine and adventure the dominant theme throughout his life.

His travels have taken him to nearly every continent, where he has encountered endangered and rare species, including camels, snakes, elephants, and more. He has operated on rhinos, rare big cats, gorillas, and even a huge boar hog. Some of his encounters were dangerous to himself and others. He orchestrated evacuations from battle zones in Iraq and was caught in a coup in a dangerous third-world country. He helped rescue nearly 100 victims from a sinking ship.

On occasion, Manyak has been afforded a ringside seat for historical events, and other times, he has been thrust into unusual circumstances by chance. He witnessed the Pentagon attack on 9/11. He managed the healthcare of high-ranking government officials in the United States and other countries. Along the way, he encounters quite a cast of characters, some of them household names and others better left in the dusty corners of history.

Take Two Aspirin and Call Me at 20,000 Feet encapsulates the incredible quests the author experienced on the road to becoming an academic cancer surgeon and explorer in the lab and the field.