Paradise Under the Knife: A Wild Adventure in Tropical Medicine and International Intrigue

by M. Allan Daly

It was supposed to be a vacation and nothing else! But someone had other plans for the Dalys as they visited the world's longest saltwater lagoon, the Marovo, located in the Solomon Islands. The Dalys were struck by the natural beauty and cultural mystique of the lagoon. Within days, they felt an undeniable call to improve the dearth of health care available to the more than 20,000 villagers in the area. International intrigue, crocodile attacks, a reclusive billionaire, and an uncompromising will to succeed all unfolded to produce an epic seven-year adventure. Ten medical tours later and more than 10,000 patients treated have made for a mind-boggling journey overflowing with comedy, joy, and heartache. In the end, the power of love, perseverance, and newfound friendships have propelled the Marovo Medical Foundation and its beloved partners to succeed where so many international aid groups have failed. Hold on tight for this epic expedition! M. Allan Daly has devoted the past eight years of his life to serving others in the South Pacific. He has a passion for social justice and helping those in need. These facets have enabled him to create lasting positive change in the health care infrastructure of the Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands. In addition, Allan has coordinated a physician-based healthcare program for the area's 20,000 residents.
His other true loves are hiking, bird watching, gardening, and gourmet cooking. Allan still has enthusiasm for his former career, which was in natural resources education. He currently lives in the Tucson area.

260 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2014

About the author

M. Allan Daly is a native of Baltimore County and served as the Natural Resources Extension Educator in Baltimore County in the early 2000’s. Since leaving that post, Allan has immersed himself in two international health endeavors over the past twelve years.

He acted after discovering a serious lack of healthcare access for the 20,000 people of the Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands by co-founding and directing Marovo Medical Foundation. Allan created a regular healthcare access program, which continues to this day, for the people of the world's longest saltwater lagoon. Allan tells the entire story in his book, Paradise Under The Knife: A Wild Adventure in Tropical Medicine and International Intrigue.

After leaving Marovo Medical Foundation, Allan traveled to Peru several times where he dealt with multiple bouts of foodborne illness. He found the travel information landscape devoid of standards-based resources; thus limiting travelers’ abilities to make informed dining and lodging choices to reduce their risk of contracting a foodborne illness. Allan created Cocina Verify®, a concept to provide travelers with a clearinghouse of restaurants, throughout Latin America, which voluntarily choose to meet US FDA food safety standards.

His new book: Deathly Ill: An Adventure Into the Dirty World of Haute Cuisine and International Travel, shares the entire story of uncovering significant gaps in the food service and tourism industries in Latin America, while also working to fix them. Allan wrote the book to help travelers take control of their food safety before and during their international travels. He’s committed to serving as a food safety travel advocate for the public to help prevent other travelers from experiencing the terrible ravages of foodborne illness like he and his team have experienced on multiple trips to Latin America.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allan and I worked together at the National Youth Science Camp. His inaugural book tells of how he's dedicated the past 8 years to improving the medical situation in the Solomon Islands. Allan is a natural story teller and his written voice is reminiscent of sitting in the outdoor shack at camp and listening to Al passionately describe his recent adventures. This book makes me want to be more impactful with my short time on Earth.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was was written by my friend, Allan. It is such an inspiring story about Allan and his wife's hard work to bring medical care to a very underprivileged area in the Solomon Islands.