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)

Unexpectedly fascinating

I bought this book during Audible's summer $5.95 sale (I guess "sales" do work!) and was unexpectedly drawn into this far-ranging history of the discovery and development of sulfa drugs. The author does a terrific job of providing details about the personal lives of the characters so that they're three dimensional, and descriptions of the social/politic environment so that their scientific work is placed in a historical context. I would have given it five stars except that I really disliked the reader -- his overly-dramatic reading actually detracted from the book. I especially disliked how he draws out the final word of each sentence into a falling cadence, changing the final syllable of the final word into two syllables. (Sorry, can't describe it more exactly.) End result is that he continually sounds patronizing and bored.

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.

Very enjoyable!

Any additional comments?

The story behind sulfa drugs was truly engaging and enlightening. Hager does a wonderful job of incorporating science and story in the history of the drug. Truly enjoyable!

Extremely informative

If you could sum up The Demon Under The Microscope in three words, what would they be?

History of antibiotics

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gerhard Domagk, he's kind of a boss and kind of the main character.

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

Stephen presents the material very articulately, enveloping the listener in the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"Who thought the history of modern medical science could be this cool?"

Motivating and historically educational

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

Inspiring review on the history of Sulfa discovery. A team effort lead by a pathologist, a medical specialist poorly recognized but once again, successful at making a significant contribution to modern medicine. The book is accessible for everyone, using non-technical language. The historical documentation is rather complete and seemingly unbiased.

What did you like best about this story?

The recognition of the role of a pathologist as a basic researcher breaking new ground.

Which scene was your favorite?

The moment when the central character (Domagk) realizes the potential of his discovery.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When second world war almost wiped out Domagk's efforts.

Any additional comments?

Weel documented. Well read. A lot of fun.

An Enjoyable, Informative Book

I am a high school science teacher and found this book to be an incredibly fascinating read. I especially enjoyed how it walked the reader through various discovery processes. Sometimes discoveries happen through accident, sometimes they happen through diligence and thorough work, sometimes it can be after thousands of unfavorable outcomes, etc. It showed the importance of good record keeping and collaboration with other fields and scientists. I will definitely be using some examples from this book in class. One of the other features I enjoyed about this book was its side stories. I think it did an admirable job of making the reader see the scientists and individuals in the book not as static pieces of history, but as real, individual people. These stories accentuated the points the book was making, and prevented it from becoming dry. My only criticism is that the stories sometimes made me lose focus of the main point, so when the narrator got back to it, I sometimes had to pause it or relisten to certain bits in order to get back on track. That being said, I'm glad the excerpts were there. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book, and I'm very pleased with it.

This was a surprise!

Any additional comments?

I bought this book at a reduced price, and not really expecting anything special, but I was spellbound by this remarkable history. I do not write reviews, but I hope more people can enjoy this Mr Hager's account of scientific history.