Altitude-Rated Places: A Medical Atlas. Blake Moomey. McNaughton and Gunn, New Orleans, 1993. 225 pages, 11 appendices, 20 maps. $16.95.

This will be a useful atlas for anyone interested in travel. Not many people have health problems that prevent them from going higher than 4000 feet, but for those who do, it is difficult to plan a trip. The author, bom with a heart defect that seriously threatens his life at altitudes which don’t affect most of us, spent five years collecting information about all the towns, cities, lakes, parks one might like to visit. He lists their elevation, medical facilities, airports and more, and has keyed them to maps of all parts of the United States. This resource is preceded by a summary of medical problems which may cause trouble at altitude, a good glossary, index and helpful hints about traveling when medically compromised. I use the atlas often to check locations and altitudes.

Charles S. Houston, M.D.