The Demon Under The Microscope

By: Thomas Hager

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The Nazis discovered it. The Allies won the war with it. It conquered diseases, changed laws, and single-handedly launched the era of antibiotics. This incredible discovery was sulfa, the first antibiotic medication. In The Demon Under the Microscope, Thomas Hager chronicles the dramatic history of the drug that shaped modern medicine.

Sulfa saved millions of lives, among them, Winston Churchill's and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr.'s, but its real effects have been even more far reaching. Sulfa changed the way new drugs were developed, approved, and sold. It transformed the way doctors treated patients. And it ushered in the era of modern medicine. The very concept that chemicals created in a lab could cure disease revolutionized medicine, taking it from the treatment of symptoms and discomfort to the eradication of the root cause of illness.

A strange and vibrant story, The Demon Under the Microscope illuminates the colorful characters, corporate strategy, individual idealism, careful planning, lucky breaks, cynicism, heroism, greed, hard work, and central (though mistaken) idea that brought sulfa to the world. This is a fascinating scientific tale with all the excitement and intrigue of a great suspense novel.

©2006 Thomas Hager (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Highly entertaining." (Publishers Weekly)

Fascinating Story of Discovery & Development of Antibiotics

One of the best non-fiction science books I’ve heard or read. The book also stands on its own as an Audible book vs. print version. There are no charts, graphs or tables. Hoye is the perfect narrator.

Thomas Hager is a an excellent story teller, covering the discovery of antibiotics, made possible by the invention of the microscope, bringing the invisibly small to view. Hager takes us from there to the One of the best non-fiction science books I’ve heard or read. The book also stands on its own as an Audible book vs. print version. There are no charts, graphs or tables.

Thomas Hager is a an excellent story teller, covering the discovery of antibiotics made possible by the invention of the microscope, bringing invisibly small to view. y of bacteria, to the development of antibiotics. It’s an amazing story!

Riveting

Amazing story of how medicines are discovered and the human costs of the discoveries. Very well narrated and hard to stop listening!

If you enjoy science, you will enjoy this

Would you listen to The Demon Under The Microscope again? Why?

I enjoyed the history of the development of the first antibiotics. I might listen again in a few years after reading other books with intersecting histories.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way it showed the connection of external forces like war, the need for a company to make money on their R&D, and the scientists perseverance in pursuing the possibility of finding a drug to kill bacteria.

Which scene was your favorite?

The part of the story that told about a disaster of mixing sulfa with a chemical to make it drinkable, which turned out to be poisonous which led to the FDA regulation of drugs being released to the public.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I listened over a number of settings

Any additional comments?

All of us have benefitted from antibiotics, this is relevant to all of us.

Excellent blend of Medicine, Science and History.

Where does The Demon Under The Microscope rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Number One, together with Demon in the freezer.

What did you like best about this story?

The combination of Science and War Histories in the first place and the diligence and perseverance of the scientists searching for a cure for bacterial infections. The books does not concentrate in one direction/aspect but tells all that happend before, during and after a specific event. It actually tells the story of how a lot of things got started and accepted. Infact, I never knew Sulfa drugs were discovered this way and I appreciate every info I had from this book. I kept on bookmarking and rewinding till I absorbed every word/scene in the story. It is indeed an excellent blend of Medicine, Science and History that needs to be known by everyone.I therefore congratulate Thomas Hager for a wonderful job done. On my way to purchase his next book.

What about Stephen Hoye’s performance did you like?

His voice is a perfect match for this book. I had already admired him from The Emperor of All Maladies which is also another first class book.

Any additional comments?

Recommended to all Researchers and Medical practitioners. A lot is to be learnt from this book.

So interesting!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Demon Under The Microscope the most enjoyable?

Great voice, well-read, with a fascinating subject matter

What does Stephen Hoye bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

suspense

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

not possible

Any additional comments?

It touches on many topics...medicine, history,biography, so it became a suspense novel, but one with accurate information. I loved it!!

Thoroughly enjoyed it

I really enjoyed this book. I only recently in the last few years have the time or inclination to read science/history non-fiction.

I liked the development of the players through time in the different parts they had to play in the search for chemical antibiotics.

My only complaint is that the narrative is not as linear as I might have expected. Perhaps that is a strength for a writer, but for me as a listener, I would rather have had some of the events presented in chronological context rather than moving back and forth in time in relating the smaller details to larger points.

The title is a bit misleading, because we see that this is not just about one doctor, but all the players - but with every good story, there are heroes - and this story has many notable contributors.

Historical story telling at it's best

Hager's book combines scientific, social and political history into multi-generational tale that is captivating and informative. If a few of the connections he weaves together are a bit of a stretch, nothing in this book is irrelevant, and all of it is worth knowing. Written in a fashion that would be accessible to a high school student, it nevertheless will be informative to an adult of any age. One of the best books on a scientific history topic for the non-specialist I've ever encountered. Highly recommended.

Fascinating History

Wow. So much interesting information, so much good history, and so many bad players in the history of the search for miracle cures. Faultless research and excellent storytelling. More proof that science, medical science in this case, is not now and never has been static, that so-called modern science is a myth. This is an excellent listen.

The Demon under the Microscope

This is one of the most absorbing stories that I have come across in quite a while. The impact the subject of the story has on each of our lives today is hard to comprehend. You will definitely have more insight into the way drug companies work and how research and development has elvoved over time. The power of drugs to heal and hurt and why the two must be balanced comes to life vividly. Highly recommend.

A Dynamic, Remarkably Well-Written Account...

of how a miracle of modern medicine made an age in which something like scarlet fever, bronchitis or a deep cut could prove fatal into a curious and quaint bit of past, a fuzzy far-away time that most children today could barely conceive of--and, from a medical point of view, thank God they cannot.