In 1900 only a handful of drugs (morphine, quinine, aspirin, etc) had
genuine efficacy but had little value for bacterial or viral infections
or cancer. These conditions were usually untreatable. Now there are
literally thousands of drugs which offer cures or greatly extended
life-spans for those with life-threatening conditions. Life Saving
Drugs: the Elusive Magic Bullet describes the discovery and development
of antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-cancer drugs. The book highlights
the colourful characters behind the inventions and the huge improvements
in quality of life and life-expectancy that these drugs have produced.
Emphasis is given to the new drugs that have emerged as a result of
knowledge of the human genome, and the ways in which the newer drugs are
being designed to tackle disease, particularly cancer, at the genetic
level. Chemical structures are provided for all of the key drugs and the
book is well illustrated. Life Saving Drugs: the Elusive Magic Bullet
can be read as a history of drug development during the past 100 years
by those with only a passing knowledge of chemistry. For anyone entering
the medical profession, pharmacy, or nursing, it will provide a superb
basic knowledge of all drugs they are ever likely to meet, including
their modes of action. For the chemist or medicinal chemist, it will
provide the fundamental knowledge of life-saving drugs that they all
should know. And for the non-scientist who wants to know about
'super-bugs', SARS, Ebola, and all of the wonderful advances in treating
cancer, it is illuminating and easy to read.
