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Books : Dark Remedy: The Impact of Thalidomide and Its Revival as a Vital MedicineIn association with Amazon.com List Price: $26.00 Price: $1.84 You Save: $24.16 (93%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Dewey Decimal Number: 615.26812 EAN: 9780738204048 ISBN: 0738204048 Label: Basic Books Manufacturer: Basic Books Number Of Pages: 208 Publication Date: 2001-01 Publisher: Basic Books Release Date: January 09, 2001 Studio: Basic Books Sales Rank: 504559 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: A remarkable medicine is now available that can successfully treat millions of people with multiple myeloma, brain tumors and other cancers, arthritis, lupus, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, leprosy, tuberculosis, and AIDS. It's thalidomide-a drug with a chilling history. In the 1950s, this "safe" sedative was all the rage in Europe. Then one baby was born without ears, another with stunted limbs, then another with no limbs at all. In all, ten thousand severely deformed babies were born before thalidomide was banned. But two years ago, this brutal toxin was approved by the FDA. How did the most infamous drug of all time become one of the major players in modern medicine?In this irresistible medical detective story, Trent Stephens and Rock Brynner recount the history of thalidomide, a fascinating tale filled with villains and heroes, and bring us up to the present day, as scientists-Stephens among them-work to create and test an alternative drug that captures thalidomide's curative properties without its cruel side effects. The chronicle of a tragic chapter in the history of public health, Dark Remedy ends with great promise, as we put thalidomide to work for us, in the treatment of over a hundred diseases. Amazon.com Review: Twentieth-century science is too complex for any one reader's apprehension, so we look for stories that help us grasp its enormity. The jubilant discovery, demonization, and subsequent rehabilitation of thalidomide offers a wide-ranging outline of public attitudes toward science following World War II, and the authors of Dark Remedy: The Impact of Thalidomide and Its Revival As a Vital Medicine tell the story well. Historian Rock Brynner and embryologist Trent Stephens--who may have finally determined the drug's mechanism of action in 1998--treat us to both a devastating indictment of the under-regulated pharmaceutical industry of the 1950s and a penetrating study of thalidomide's reintroduction into mainstream medicine through the black market. The powerful anti-inflammatory properties of the drug make it a popular choice for treating arthritis, leprosy, some cancers, AIDS, MS, and many other debilitating illnesses, but it has only recently won grudging approval. Though the its tone can be acidic (in one instance referring to the "Utopian prosthetics custom-designed for the deformities caused by Utopian medicine"), the book is, for the most part, fair to the corporations that caused and then ignored the epidemic of birth defects, the victims who understandably tried to prevent the drug's revival, and the regulators who were too often bound by short-sighted legislation to do their jobs. The heroes and villains are larger than life, the stories and the science are equally compelling, and Dark Remedy ultimately combines the best elements of journalism and myth. --Rob Lightner Average Rating:
 Rating: - How the FDA acquired its power in our modern eraDark Remedy by Brynner and Stephens is a rather scary tale of how one person, Dr. Frances Kelsey, may have just saved the people of the United States from a very trajic event in the 1960-61 era. Being a new FDA employee back then, she simply refused to permit its (ie, thalidomide) acceptance for the US (FDA approval) market, and by doing so, prevented one of the worst nightmares that could have occurred in American medical history. Many other countries had already approved the drug for use, ... Read More Rating: - a remarkable study of a terrible disasterI bought this remarkable book last year and have recommended it to several people. I know next to nothing about medicine, so it came as a revelation. When I was a child in the 1960s, this mysterious horror always lurked in the distance, terrifying but incomprehensible. Like nuclear fallout or the mercury poisoning of Minamata, thalidomide was an important symbol of Frankenstein technology, but I didn't read a proper study of the nightmare until I read 'Dark Remedy' last year. Like many adolescents ... Read More Rating: - A profound and moving taleAs outlined above, this book details the history of thalidomide, including its discovery, introduction into society, harmful effects, withdrawal, and eventual rebirth as a useful medication. It is very interesting and keeps your attention throughout the entire book. I am a physician and learned very much from this book, including some information about the FDA, and even about what thalidomide is used for today. I would say that you should read this book if you have any interest in medical history told in a narrative ... Read More Rating: - How thalidomide caused the greatest medical disasterDark Remedy tells of how thalidomide caused the greatest medical disaster in history - but today is enjoying a comeback as a life-saving treatment despite its side effects. Dark Remedy considers how the drug became a nightmare in the 1960s, how it was banned, and how it's receiving new research attention today which may reinstate its use without its side effects. An intriguing medical history. Rating: - A Compelling Read for Layperson and Scientist AlikeThis short book is a compelling drama, complete with innocent victims, dark villians and compassionate and dedicated heros. But it is no simple account in black and white. Rather it is a textured retelling of the profound human tragedy of Tahlidomide, it's impact on the phamaceutical industry, the FDA's regulatory role, and the pursuit of scientific insight. It will come as a surprise to many laypeople that Thalidomide, notorious for the extreme birth defects it caused when it burst upon the consciousness of ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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