 |
The Demon under the Microscope From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor’s Heroic Search for the World’s First Miracle Drug
Thomas Hager Harmony Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-7394-8137-0 |
This is the story of sulfa drugs, the first successful class of antibiotic (purists would say “antibacterial”) compounds discovered and used in clinical practice. The narrative revolves around Gerhard Domagk, the German physician who first showed that chemical compounds containing sulfonamide had effective antibacterial properties in vivo. The story happens in early 20th century Germany, in the time spanning between world wars, in the context of the dye industry (the surprising birthplace of sulfa drugs), and in a period of burgeoning nationalism and political upheaval. Overall, the book reads well and is informative, although the reader will not find much in the way of pharmacology or biochemistry. Nevertheless, it is a nice account of the significance of sulfa drugs, largely forgotten today given the overwhelming impact that bona fide antibiotics (naturally produced antibacterial chemicals, as opposed to the synthetic sulfa drugs) had once made available towards the end of WWII.
