Med Cell is a new column to Fight Times that will I'm sure really interest our readers.

Let me introduce Doc, as we know him at the Todd Group, Dr Steffan Eriksson. Doc is an emergency registrar in the A&E and as such deals with trauma as part of his duties on a regular basis. This is the field of medicine he really enjoys and is well suited to.

He is also a committed close combat practitioner that knows the value of training in proven methods of self-protection. I approached Doc on course in Queensland Australia recently with the idea of a regular column on trauma injuries relating to combat and self-defence.

I knew he was a very busy professional but if you want something done properly you ask someone that is the professional in that field and that is busy, as these are the people that get things done and do not sit around thinking about how much time its going to take etc. If you want something done ask a busy person not a lazy one. We are very lucky indeed to have Doc agree to do this for us and Doc thanks Pal.

The column will include information from head to toe on injuries and wounds related to not only the result of physical violence but also injuries incurred through the employment of offensive and counter offensive close combat and self protection skills.

Armed and unarmed injuries will be covered from such incidents as self-defence, battlefield close combat, competitive fighting arts, and military type wounds from injuries occurred in a wide range of operational roles.
We will also cover wear and tear injuries and conditions and the effects of such prisoner of war related injuries.

From footrot to edged weapon wounds, and breaks and dislocations to ballistic wounds, and sprains and strains as well as the effects of unarmed strikes, kicks and bludgeon type weapon attacks and garrottes, plus much more will be covered issue by issue.

This will make this column a must for those wanting to arm themselves with knowledge in this vital combative area of expertise.

We open the column with an interview with the Doc Dr Steffan Eriksson as to his background and readers can look forward to the next issue where we will start our look at how the human body is affected by combative wounds and injuries.

1) Tell us about your family and birthplace and schooling

I was born in Wellington, NZ, and went to Hastings Boy's High School in Hawkes Bay, NZ

2) Did any of your family train in any fighting practises or serve in the armed forces.

My Father served in the Swedish army in the late 60's in the infantry.

3) What sports and pasttimes did you enjoy as a youngster.

Played cricket at high school, as well as a bit of lunchtime rugby! I ran competitively at high school

4) When did you decide you wanted to become a doctor?

I decided to become a doctor when I was 11 years old, inspired by Hawkeye Pearce from M*A*S*H!

5) Tell us about your university days.

I attended Auckland University Medical School straight after high school in 1991. In 1994 I took a year off to travel. During that time I worked for 4 months in Hawaii, hitchhiked across parts of Canada, then on to Europe and back to NZ. I graduated Medical School in February 1998. I was seen as a bit of a troublemaker at Medical School, and thought about switching careers part way through.

6) When you graduated what/where did you first work.

When I graduated, I worked for one and a half years at Wollongong Hospital, about an hours drive south of Sydney, Australia. After doing rotations in emergency, intensive care and anaesthetics, I then worked in the outback in a place called Tennant Creek for a year. During this time I did a lot of aero medical retrieval work, mostly in a twin-engine prop. Unfortunately I never got the chance to play 'doctors and nurses' one mile high! I then worked in the UK for 3 years before returning to work in Sydney.

7) Was trauma medicine and working in the A&E always your desired field, what are your medical qualifications?

I have always been drawn to emergency – again, the M*A*S*H influence I guess, but spent some time doing psychiatry. I am currently an emergency registrar on the path to becoming a specialist/consultant in emergency medicine, a relatively new specialty. The hospital I work at sees a lot of trauma.

8) How did you get involved in close combat training and tell us about your involvement and progression to date.

I got involved in close combat training initially for self-defence. About 4 years ago 3 men in Dublin wielding knives attacked me. Fortunately I was not stabbed. Shortly afterwards I was held at knifepoint by a psychiatric patient while I was alone in a consulting room. After I moved back to Australia I looked into various martial arts, but did not want to spend 7 years leaning katas before learning how to defend myself against a knife attack. I contacted Dave Stevens in Sydney, and began training with him in 2003. I passed my phase one test in early 2005 in Dunedin, and have gone on to phase two training, including the 5-day course recently held on the Gold Coast.

9) Describe your opinions of the Todd Systems of close combat and what it has done for you personally and your future intentions in close combat.

My view of the Todd System is that at even the earliest levels of training, the techniques taught are practical and easy to learn and apply in a wide variety of situations.

I have gained a lot of confidence that I could handle myself in a violent situation. More importantly, I discovered doing the phase test that I don't back down and would fight to win. Funnily enough, I have been more assertive in my dealings with people both at work and in general.

My intention is to continue phase two training for the next few years then attempt the phase two test.

10) What is your future plans for your career in medicine and do they involve any overseas plans or fields where combative expertise may be handy.

I plan to obtain my consultancy in emergency medicine, and to do some more helicopter based retrieval medicine. I also plan to work for Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors without borders) who specialise in sending doctors to regions affected by wars and natural disasters. Many of the areas MSF send doctors to are volatile and there have been a number of doctors killed working for MSF.

11) Have you ever had to use your skills to defend yourself or control or restrain anyone?

Although I come face to face with violent patients and relatives more often than is acceptable, I have not had to use any control and restraint or self defence techniques for two reasons. Firstly we often have either a police or security presence in ED, and secondly I have at my disposal 'chemical restraints' i.e. drugs that can be used to sedate people. I have however had to restrain myself from applying my combat skills to certain individuals who try to make my job more difficult than it already is. If the situation arose that I had no alternative I would not hesitate to use my skills.

12) Could you give readers a broad overview of some of the usual and not so usual injuries and trauma cases you have had to deal with.

I see a variety of trauma cases at work. Examples include motor vehicle accidents, which can be a challenge as often more than one person is involved. I have also seen a lot of work related injuries often involving limbs and machinery. One man arrived to emergency having accidentally used his testicles to stop an electric belt sander. My advice to readers is to wear underwear if you are going to use machinery like this. I have been involved with quite a few stabbing injuries, either from assaults or self-inflicted. I was also in emergency when a man injured about 8 people with a shotgun (one man died). Gunshot wounds are less prevalent than knife wounds. Other trauma scenarios include burns, electrical shocks, drowning, falls, sports injuries (eg dislocations, broken legs or arms, fractured necks), poisonings and so on.

13) What do you consider your personal strengths as a doctor and in close combat and self defence.

My strengths as a doctor are getting the job done regardless of what or who stands in my way. I have pissed some people off because of this attitude but it doesn't bother me as long as I get the result I want. I also consider myself a hard worker and get extremely annoyed when others around me do not put in the same effort.

In close combat I have persistence in both achieving my goals and when fighting. I think one of my strengths is picking things up quickly, both in medicine and in combat

14) How tough have you found the close combat testing and describe your thoughts on phase one and two modules and how practical and medically effective the skills would be in combat and self-defence.

I found the phase one test quite physically demanding, as I never played much in the way of contact sports as a youngster. I surprised myself by how aggressive I was when I actually did the test, but nevertheless I am glad that I passed – the fights can get quite brutal.

I have found phase two to involve a vast amount of material, and although phase one techniques can stand alone as effective combat, having been through the phase two components I now see phase one material as the building blocks to more complex phase two material. I am trying to refine phase one skills because I can see how critical it is to becoming a good combatant.

From a medical perspective, the skills learned in both phases when applied have the potential to be devastating. Even the basic leg stamp to the knee would essentially cripple somebody. As a doctor I was impressed with the simple yet effective techniques taught in phase one. Phase two however has surprised me. Some of the techniques are the exact opposite to what I have been trained to do as a doctor (eg airway skills). The rationale behind techniques from a medical angle is incredible, though not the sort of thing they teach at medical school!