TEN DRUGS: HOW PLANTS, POWDERS, AND PILLS HAVE SHAPED THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE By Thomas Hager


Americans make up 5% of the world’s population, but we take 50% of the pills. Hager says the average Senior Citizen in the U.S. takes 10 pills a day (he’s counting vitamins, too).

In Chapter One, Hager say “the most important drug humans have ever found” is opium. “Dried and eaten or smoked,” writes Hager, “it was early man’s strongest, most soothing medicine. Today it is among the most controversial.” Since prehistoric times, opium spread across the world. Its addictive property was no secret, but considered only a modest drawback because, unlike many alcoholics, most users of opium were rarely violent.

In the 19th century, opium’s refined versions—-morphine and heroin—-produced an addiction epidemic similar to what we’re seeing today. Government efforts to suppress opiate and opioid misuse have been ineffective. Hager points out that modern medicine uses opium-based drugs every day. Much of pain-management is based on synthetic opioids which are cheap and effective…but very addictive. Change will come slowly.

My favorite chapter was on the history of vaccines, mostly the story of smallpox eradication. It was news to me that a woman, Lady Mary, discovered the connection between vaccination and surviving small-pox.

Hager goes on to provide exciting stories of discovery of important drugs that have an international flavor: antibiotics in Germany, antipsychotics in France, and cholesterol-lowering drugs in Japan.

Sadly, Hager concludes with a warning that Big Phama’s attentions are now focused on drugs that improve the quality of life—- Viagra, Botox, contraceptives, and tranquilizers–and generate plenty of profits. Do you have a favorite drug? GRADE: A
Table of Contents
Introduction 50,000 Pills 1
Chapter 1 The Joy Plant 11
Chapter 2 Lady Mary’s Monster 49
Chapter 3 The Mickey Finn 75
Chapter 4 How to Soothe Your Cough with Heroin 85
Chapter 5 Magic Bullets 99
Chapter 6 The Least Explored Territory on the Planet 123
Interlude The Golden Age 159
Chapter 7 Sex, Drags, and More Drugs 163
Chapter 8 The Enchanted Ring 187
Chapter 9 Statins: A Personal Story 211
Chapter 10 A Perfection of Blood 241
Epilogue The Future of Drugs 259
Source Notes 271
Bibliography 277
Index 287

23 thoughts on “TEN DRUGS: HOW PLANTS, POWDERS, AND PILLS HAVE SHAPED THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE By Thomas Hager

  1. Jeff Meyerson

    I guess I’m a little below average. We take seven pills each, including vitamins.

    I guess I’d go with the original “wonder drug” – aspirin.

    Reply
      1. george Post author

        Jeff, Diane just takes her “baby” aspirin, Lipitor, and a high blood pressure pill. That’s it. I take about 20 pills!

  2. wolf

    No vitamins for us normally!
    But since I have high blood pressure and “atrial fibrillation” once I also have to take several pills (including Xarelto as a blood thinner and Amiodaron) every day and my doc just told me he can’t reduce that number – but no morphines, sedatives etc!

    Btw my favourite drug is Sildenafil – and my wife knows about it. 🙂
    It has become much cheaper now here in Europe …

    Reply
  3. Rick Robinson

    I guess Insulin, because as a diabetic I take it daily. Too bad the offing big pharma have decided to up the price 1000% over the last 10 years, not because they had to, but because they could. BAH!

    Reply
    1. wolf

      I read several stories about these incredible price increases for life-saving drugs but I still don’t understand how this is possible in the US.
      Here in Europe pharmaceutical companies wouldn’t dare – there’d be immediate competition.
      Most of my drugs are so called generics and the pharmacist sometimes tells me that another product would be cheaper (because my insurance has done some haggling with the company) and I say:
      No problem – any generic will do!
      The name and the looks are not important – it just counts what’s inside!
      PS:
      I still temember Pfizer asking more than 15€ for a pill (you know what I mean) so I bought my pills for less than 1€ from someone who imported them from India – illegal of course, but who cares … 🙂

      Reply
      1. george Post author

        Wolf, many of my friends go over the International Border to Canada to buy their drugs. Many popular drugs cost 50% less in Canada. U.S. drug prices are outrageous!

    2. george Post author

      Rick, you’re right about insulin prices. They have zoomed way up! My 90-day supply of Lantus costs almost $1,200. Fortunately, my co-pay is only $25.

      Reply
      1. wolf

        That’s the US:
        Why do insurance companies – and the government too (!!!) allow these insane prices?

        The “Socialist Health Systems” in most of Europe have lead to much lower prices – and I still haven’t heard of any pharmaceutical company going bankrupt because of this.
        For example the Israeli company TEVA produces mainly generics and has taken over many companies in Germany e g.

        PS:
        Re the blue pills – I was afraid of being censored by wordpress … 🙂

  4. Beth Fedyn

    I’m a big fan of any drug that does what it’s supposed to do – especially pain pills. And I always take the suggested dosage.

    Since I’m allergic to aspirin and ibuprofen, it’s Tylenol and opioids for me.

    Reply
  5. Jeff Meyerson

    Jackie took oxycontin for several months (small doses) after her knee replacement, until the physical therapist told her to stop taking them, that Tylenol or Advil worked just as well. She was right. The doctor at the rehab place, however, and this is the guy whose one interaction with Jackie in a couple of weeks she was there was to ask how her HIP was doing(!), was your classic pill pusher. When we left there, he handed up a big pile of pills and prescriptions for more. I threw most of them away.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, today doctors are under a lot of pressure to limit opioid prescriptions. After I had my first knee replacement surgery, my orthopedic surgeon gave me a script for 40 Lortabs (aka, Hydrocodone) with a refill! Now, after my laser nose surgery, my plastic surgeon gave me a script for SIX Hydrocodone…and no refills. Yes, the surgeries were different, but the policies on opioids are far more restrictive today.
      ,

      Reply
  6. wolf

    My doc is very much against using opioids and even sleeping tablets etc.
    PS:
    Re “baby Aspirin”:
    On my first visit to the USA as a tourist I was really surprised to see how cheap Aspirin was compared to the German prices so I bought several packages at Wlagrens (100 pills for 1$) and bvrought them home for family members …

    Reply

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