The Elusive Magic Mullet. The Search for the Perfect Drug
John Mann
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999; £19.99
ISBN 0198500939
I wonder, what sort of books do you like
to read? Textbooks perhaps? Well, probably not. Or novels? Books to
transport you into fiction land, removed from exams, hard work, and
indeed, those textbooks.
As new drugs are forever being sought, John Mann has written an account
of the discoveries of the past that have brought us to the
pharmacological understanding of the present day. He narrates a
chronology of significant breakthroughs in drug treatments, from the
16th century physician Paracelcus and his rather toxic treatments for
syphilis, through the discovery of penicillin, and eventually on to
discuss the contemporary strategies in cancer treatment. The stories
behind the discovery of each drug are told. The tale of how Sir
Alexander Fleming could quite easily have not discovered penicillin
might not interest you, but the details of his research, the clinical
trials, and the commercial problems he faced might.
The style is not taxing. It is pitched at a level that is accessible to
the interested lay person, yet not too simplistic to those with a
background knowledge of the science. Two strands to the book could be
identified. Firstly, there is the story of the pioneers; about the
people themselves, and their path to discovering the various new drugs.
Secondly, there are more scientific passages; for example, the
structure of penicillin is described. We are even informed of all the
drugs' generic names and chemical names. Although the author's
explanations of the science are clear and simple, they have the effect
of interrupting the flow of the otherwise gentle history.
It is an informative book, however. Above all, the historical context
we are given helps bring alive long lists of drugs with confusingly
similar sounding names. To know why rifampicin is so named may not be
important, but the accumulative effect of such "useless"
information might help bring to mind individual drugs and better to
understand the subject as a whole.
So, are you going to read The Elusive Magic Bullet? It is, after all,
neither a concise textbook, packed full of knowledge to help you pass
your exams, neat summarising tables, and useful diagrams, nor is it a
witty, plot thickened, twist enhanced story to divert your overcrammed
mind. If medical history is of interest to you, then you need to be
hesitant to read this book. But if it is not, then view this book
generously. It is both educational and a diverting history; a history
of pharmacology, of medicine, of some of the politics involved, and
also of the extraordinary nature of discovery-a history of human
achievement.
Andrew Coulton, second year medical student, Imperial College of Science and Medicine, London
studentBMJ 2000;08:131-174 May ISSN 0966-6494
