Ten Drugs: How Plants, Powders, and Pills Have Shaped the History of Medicine (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781419734403)

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.

Author: Thomas Hager
ISBN-10: 1419734407
ISBN-13: 9781419734403
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Language: English
Published: 03/05/2019
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2019 pg. 84
Booklist 02/15/2019 pg. 21
Publishers Weekly 02/04/2019