Description
Book Synopsis
All of us are drug users, in the broadest sense of the word. Drugs can be medicines, they can be used for pleasure, and they can also be used to protect our long-term health. It is important that we are well informed about the drugs we use - how they work, their benefits and their risks. This book is a unique guide for the general science reader to the drugs of everyday life - from the main types of medicine through to recreational drugs and food supplements. It looks at how drugs interact with their targets in the body, where they come from, how they are developed and what drugs to expect in the future. All the major pharmaceutical medicines are reviewed - painkillers, antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, anti depressants, heart drugs, tranquillizers and hormones. However this book is much more than a consumer handbook - it also conveys the fascinating science of drug discovery in an easily accessible way.
Trade Review
'… this book flows like a river, uncovering the delicate dance between drugs and health and filling in the background … Magic Molecules really hits the spot.' Ben Crystall, New Scientist
'I wish that this book had been available a few years ago … Magic Molecules presents some of the great stories about past and present drug discovery and development. It provides accessible information about the drugs that we take and the fascinating science behind them, with all of the hype and confusion cut away. Everyone will find something gripping in this book.' Martin Westwell, The Times Higher Education Supplement
'… very informative and well written … this book is well worth reading and deserves to reach a wide audience.' Rob Kingston, Chemistry in Britain
'… an elegant book … an admirable book. One can sense the enjoyment of the author in writing it. I wonder what she was on.' Paul Wymer, Chemistry and Industry
Table of Contents
List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. How drugs work; 2. From penicillin to Prozac: introducing pharmaceutical drugs; 3. Fighting infection; 4. The hormonal revolution; 5. Cardiovascular drugs: protecting the heart and brain; 6. The problem of pain; 7. The cancer challenge; 8. Drugs for the mind; 9. Drugs of recreation and addiction; 10. Natural alternatives: vitamins, minerals and herbs; 11. In the pipeline: gene-based medicine; Bibliography; Index.
