The Drug Book: From Arsenic to Xanax, 250 Milestones in the History of Drugs

by Michael C. Gerald

“A beautiful and well-researched historical guide to significant drugs” from the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Prescription Drugs (Library Journal).Throughout history, humans everywhere have searched for remedies to heal our bodies and minds. Covering everything from ancient herbs to cutting-edge chemicals, this book in the hugely popular Milestones series looks at 250 of the most important moments in the development of life-altering, life-saving, and sometimes life-endangering pharmaceuticals. Illustrated entries feature ancient drugs like alcohol, opium, and hemlock; the smallpox and the polio vaccines; homeopathic cures; and controversial medical treatments like ether, amphetamines, and Xanax—while shining a light on the scientists, doctors, and companies who brought them to us.“These true tales of discovery in The Drug Book by Michael C. Gerald might change the way you think about your medicine.” —The Healthy“An excellent starting point for student researchers and is very browsable for the general reader.” —Booklist

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Medical, Medicine, Reference, Health Care

532 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Hermione · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I'm studying to be a pharmacist and this book was very useful to see where drugs came from. Recommend for anyone in pharmacology.

[D. Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. I learned a lot.

[Nilendu Misra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heroine was originally marketed by Bayer to treat Morphine addiction. Enough said!

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Drug Book by Michael C. Gerald is a compilation of 250 milestones in the world of drugs. The first thing Gerald does is define what he means by a “Drug.” It isn’t limited only to plants and compounds beneficial to humanity, Gerald also includes those plants and compounds that are detrimental. As with all books in this series, it goes by Chronological Order. In this case, it is complicated in some ways by when a drug was actually discovered. Sometimes it goes by when the drug went onto the market and other times it goes by the discovery date.

As you go through the entries, it is interesting to see how we went from hucksterism and quackery to sound medical practices. I suppose it is also interesting how a person used to be able to find a life-saving drug through a happy accident, but now it requires billions of dollars and years of time to determine whether or not it is safe and effective.

Some of the drugs in this book were used for unusual things, others were supplanted by drugs that treated symptoms far more effectively. All in all, this was an interesting take on the history of Drugs.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could have given this book an extra half star, I would have. It was a slog to get through this thing, but I found it incredibly interesting. I know the main discoverers of things like Insulin, but not on many of every day drugs. It was interesting to read about successful drugs, and other less successful drugs that were replaced as soon as possible due to bad side effects ssuch as vioxx. I enjoy medical history and this book definitely added to my knowledge in this area. I really think this is a must read for medical and pharmaceutical students.

[gonzalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book about medicines AND much more

I like the aproach of this book, focused in discovery AND breaktroughts then mechanism of action (mostly more scientific and difficult to understand), also i like to put some history about AND some curiosities about the drugs

[Manny Villa]

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[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thousands of years ago people discovered that certain plants could make them feel better—and “herbs” is the first entry in this book of 250 drugs that were ground-breaking in their day and that have improved our health and extended our lives. “Drugs” here does not mean only medicine, but also poisons, drugs of abuse, recreational substances, and chemicals intended to improve our quality of life. He provides information about each drug’s discovery, the scientists who studied and developed it, how it works, whether it is still in use today, and where research on drugs might take us in the near future. (Originally reviewed on Mackin Books in Bloom.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I currently teach Organic Chemistry to high school students, and after reading this book I plan to start a "Pharmaceutical Friday" bit each week utilizing this book. I love how it covers the topic as a timeline and gives a relative picture for each drug. Gerald does a great job in finding the balance between lay-reader and scientist, which is perfect for my advanced organic students. I read the book very quickly and the short pages make it perfect for using one a week for the first 5-10 minutes of my class. Great job!

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Drug Book: From Arsenic to Xanax, 250 Milestones in the History of Drugs by Michael C. Gerald (Sterling 2013)(615.1). This is quite an interesting review of pharmaceuticals as they have been discovered and/or synthesized. It begins with alcohol, cannabis, and coffee, and it's a wild ride from there forward. My rating: 7/10, finished 9/10/14.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good reference book for anyone interested in the history of drugs and their uses and abuses. The book looks at drugs in a chronological format with one page devoted to each drug as it was discovered and used.

[Gienah Ghurab · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Dr.Ray Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice to know the history and the scientists !
Very well presented .. Makes a dry topic come alive. Creative art work. Educate your patients put a copy in the reception room .

[Aidan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lightweight read, but the book has some interesting facts, if you're up for it.