The Demon Under The Microscope

De: Thomas Hager

Narrado por: Stephen Hoye

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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Highly entertaining." (Publishers Weekly)

Must read for science nerds

Who doesn’t love history and science discovery!!! Well written and compelling. You will enjoy this book

Medical Page turner

I had no idea how compelling this book would be. It's the story of how people finally found a way to deal with bacterial infection, but it's also about people fighting against their personal demons. It's a delight.

A Great Mix of Science and History (GREAT BOOK!)

Hager is a wonderful story teller and this is indeed a fascinating story (read very well by Hoye). Several stories rather, woven together beautifully. I listened to the whole thing non-stop. I believe this book could appeal to those less inclined to non-fiction as well because it is quite exciting and doubles as a war novel in parts. I got very attached to the characters.Any history buff should read this book as well, because our modern perspective makes it difficult to imagine a world where a person could die resulting from a common blister or how modern warfare tactics in WWI and WWII changed the nature of wounds and casualties, killing so many more due to soil getting deep into soldier's wounds. Why were the allies and Hitler both so reluctant to use the first antibiotic (or at least drug with antibiotic effect)? The science is compelling as well. I had always wondered why Flemming had been so concerned about the dangers of the use of antiseptic on the battlefield. How could anti-septic be bad? How do aerobic and anaerobic germs work together to make wounds doubly dangerous? You also get to learn about the birth of the pharmaceutical industry an absolutely fascinating early pioneers of drug creation (not to mention some of the hucksters and snake oil salesmen, those they killed and laws that resulted). I could go on and on but I'm an awful writer so go listen to a good one and GET THIS BOOK!!!

Fascinating mix of science, politics, and society

One of my favorite non-fiction audiobooks. An absolute epic. The description of the book is spot on, if the description piques your interest, the book won't disappoint.

wonderful book

Just as excellent as The Alchemy of Air. I recommend this to anyone interested in the history of science or medicine.