Peter Steele had already spent several years trekking and working in the Himalayas when he reluctantly took the position of medical officer on the 1971 International Everest Expedition. He expected it to be a hard climb; what he didn't expect were the series of disasters that included a near-epidemic, a walk-out, and the death of a team member. Struggling against bad weather, hostile news reports, and violent infighting, the members still attempted to climb Everest via the treacherous, never-before-attempted southwest face. As much an expose of Steele's colorful climbing companions -- foreign and Sherpa -- as a chronology of the perilous day-to-day challenges of attempting a difficult new route on the world's highest mountain, "Doctor on Everest" is a white-knuckle ride into an extreme environment and a compelling look at the limits of human endurance.