Behind every landmark drug is a story. It could be an oddball
researcher's genius insight, a catalyzing moment in geopolitical
history, a new breakthrough technology, or an unexpected but welcome
side effect discovered during clinical trials. Piece together these
stories, as Thomas Hager does in this remarkable, century-spanning
history, and you can trace the evolution of our culture and the practice
of medicine.
Beginning with opium, the "joy plant," which has been used for 10,000
years, Hager tells a captivating story of medicine. His subjects include
the largely forgotten female pioneer who introduced smallpox inoculation
to Britain, the infamous knockout drops, the first antibiotic, which
saved countless lives, the first antipsychotic, which helped empty
public mental hospitals, Viagra, statins, and the new frontier of
monoclonal antibodies. This is a deep, wide-ranging, and wildly
entertaining book.