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)

I thought I knew more about this.

The atrocities that shaped the world go largely unknown by the younger generations. This is a great review on how antibiotics came to be & should be a requirement for all medical staff.

Medical history at its finest.

See how many of our modern medical miracles started. I would say this book is a must read for those interested in medical history.

Excellent history

Learned quite a bit about a very familiar item on my pharmacy shelf . I hope general public can enjoy it as much as I did

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.

Captivating History

Excellent blend of Medicine, Science and History. Narrator was perfect for this text. This book details the history of sulfa drug development focusing in detail labratory trials, impact on medicine (especailly on the battlefield)and the many chemists, doctors, politicians and patients involved along the way. There is a nice balance between the technical story and the personalities involved.

Excellent Listen

Very informative and the narrative flows.

A close look at the history of antibiotics

As dull and technical as the subject of medical research might be to the average person, this book successfully makes an interesting, gripping story out of it. Conflicted people, torn families, huge puzzles to be solved, a miracle drug, a fall from grace, and Nazis.

What's there not to love?

Fascinating story, well told

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. I knew next to nothing about the subject: like many of my generation, I assumed penicillin was the first real antibiotic. This book dispels that myth and provides an amazing perspective on what life was like in the pre-antibiotic world. It is hard to imagine a time when a foot blister could cause the death of the president's son, but there are many alive now who were children at that time. The author is a good story teller who ties the narrative in with cultural history--I thought the role the sulfa drugs played in the formation of the modern FDA was particularly interesting. Well worth the listen.

Great story transcends medical history genre

I have recommended this book several times since I read it almost a year ago, and plan to listen to it again. I am a research scientist, and love the lessons learned by the scientists in the story and refer to them often. The characters are their motivations are also interesting, but to me the most interesting part is the historical context of the discovery of antibiotics (how recent!), how world events affected their discovery and development, and how they changed our world. I am not in the medical field and had no problem following the book - it is written on a level that anyone can follow.