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    The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug
    The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug
    The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug

    Written by Thomas Hager

    Narrated by Stephen Hoye

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Fast-paced, suspenseful, and utterly satisfying, The Demon Under the Microscope is a sweeping history of the discovery of the first antibiotic and its dramatic effect on the world of medicine and beyond.

    The Nazis discovered it. The Allies won the war with it. It conquered diseases, changed laws, and single-handedly launched the era of antibiotics. This incredible discovery was sulfa, the first antibiotic medication. In The Demon Under the Microscope Thomas Hager chronicles the dramatic history of the drug that shaped modern medicine.

    Sulfa saved millions of lives-among them Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr.-but its real effects are even more far reaching. Sulfa changed the way new drugs were developed, approved and sold; transformed the way doctors treated patients; and ushered in the era of modern medicine. The very concept that chemicals created in a lab could cure disease revolutionized medicine, taking it from the treatment of symptoms and discomfort to the eradication of the root cause of illness.

    A strange and vibrant story, The Demon Under the Microscope illuminates the colorful characters, corporate strategy, individual idealism, careful planning, lucky breaks, cynicism, heroism, greed, hard work, and the central, though mistaken, idea that brought sulfa to the world. This is a fascinating scientific tale with all the excitement and intrigue of a great suspense novel.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 16, 2006
    ISBN9781400173068
    The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug

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    Reviews for The Demon Under the Microscope

    4.5/5

    20 ratings9 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The fact that the title of this book is not accurate does not eliminate the fact that the book is a worthwhile read. This is NOT about a specific doctor. It is about a specific life-saving drug component that is connected in part with a specific doctor who ends up winning a Nobel Prize. Interestingly, the doctor won the prize even though the book does a credible job of explaining why he may not have deserved such a singular honor. There are a few issues with this book that cause some distraction. First, is the conflict between how the book is marketed and what it actually covers. Secondly, it shows signs of being more a book based on what the author found to use as resources instead of finding resources on what he chose to analyze. This is not that uncommon in history related reporting. Side stories get added just because the data was available. Lots of details are mentioned when resources are good and other aspects get skimmed over or skipped over altogether when resources are few, despite their significance. Thirdly, the main subject is really about a drug that today's Uber/iPhone/gluten-free generation could care less about. What saves this book is the skill with which the author overcomes these shortcomings and makes the history meaningful by clarifying how what happened in the past has affected and is still affecting how the world does business in medicine in particular and in science in general.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Very interesting book about the work of one of the most important scientists of the 20th century that you've never heard of; Gerhard Domagk. Winner of the 1939 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on sulfa antibiotics, Domagk's work has led directly and indirectly to saving the lives of millions. Although sulfa antibiotics aren't used all that often now, they were the first medications effective against bacteria, the scourge of humankind since the dawn of time. Modern medications treating many diseases from hypertension to diabetes are derived from sulfa drugs. Although non-fiction, the book reads like a novel. The main actors are well researched and really seem to come alive, especially during descriptions of the rivalries and feuds between scientists and labs. The author puts Domagk's discovery into the broader perspective of WWII and the post-war era. The perils and pitfalls of "wonder drugs" are clearly described. The book also describes how the high demand for sulfa drugs led to tragedy and strengthening of the FDA in the US. Anyone interested in the history of modern medicine/science or even science during WWII would likely enjoy this book.
    • 5/5
      Thomas Hager's tale about the discovery of the worlds first true antibiotic is an excellent narrative filled with equal parts drama, medical thriller, human interest, scientific inquiry, and science history. The Demon Under the Microscope primarily focuses on the life and work of a German research doctor, Gerhard Domagk, who, along with talented chemists at Bayer, identified the first drug from a chemical that was effective against a variety of bacteria. The story of sulfa's discovery, and it's impact on the world, is masterfully told by Hager.I learned a lot from Hager's story, not only about Domagk but about the history of the modern pharmaceutical industry. As somebody who has worked for over 17 years in pharmaceutical quality assurance I was very interested to learn about this part of the history of the industry. Sulfa was the first true modern drug, rigorously researched and tested before being released. I was fascinated by many of the connections that Hager weaves together to tell the story of the first miracle drug, and how many seemingly different events all had an impact on not only sulfa's discover, but the revolution in antibiotics and the modern pharmaceutical industry.One part of the story that I most enjoyed was Hager's recounting of the tragic Elixir of Sulfanilamide event. During the early craze over sulfa drug makers - many of them makers of "patent" medicines that had almost no testing for safety or effectiveness - made a plethora of sulfa containing drugs. All in the hopes of getting in on the sulfa crazy and earning money. Elixir of Sulfanilamide was a sweet tasting syrup that contained the wonder drug sulfa and was sold over the counter by pharmacists across the United States. The elixir had another component used to dissolve the sulfa (sulfanilamide was notoriously difficult to put into solution and couldn't be dissolved in water) - diethylene glycol. Today we know that diethylene glycol is a very toxic chemical and will attack the kidneys and lead to death. In the 1930's almost nothing was known about this chemical. In the rush to join the sulfa bandwagon the maker of the elixir used a harmful chemical without knowing it. No testing or research was done, and as a result over 100 people in the US were killed. Hager's recounting of the events around the Elixir of Sulfanilamide, and how it related to not only to the history and discovery of sulfa, but also to the evolution of the modern drug regulatory environment, was very well done. (The deaths cause by the elixir spurred the US Congress to pass new laws that gave more oversight and power to the Food and Drug Administration - FDA - effectively changing overnight how drugs were to be manufactured, tested, and sold in the US. In essence I owe my own career in pharmaceutical quality assurance to sulfa and the tragic events of the elixir.)Spanning across decades and tying together not only the research from Germany, France, and England, but also the lives of the researchers and doctors, The Devil Under the Microscope is a compelling narrative about one of the pivotal points in modern history. Had sulfa not been discovered and its benefits been shown to the world the modern antibiotics we have today may still have been discovered, but the process by which new drugs are researched, tested, and brought to market may never have come about. Even though sulfa was soon overshadowed by the end of WWII by penicillin and other antibiotics its discovery was instrumental in paving the way for our modern pharmaceutical industry. Hager's research into the history of sulfa, and the clear and entertaining way that the story of sulfa is delivered to the reader, makes The Demon Under the Microscope a book well worth the read. I listened the the wonderful audiobook version from Tantor media read by Stephen Hoye and downloaded from my local library. Hoye does a great job of narrating the events, bringing the lives of the different characters in the discovery of sulfa to life, and making the pronunciation of so many different tongue-twisting chemical names seem easy and effortless. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested not only in history or the history of science, but for people who are interested in real-life drama and medical mysteries.
    • 4/5
      Interesting read. The author does a good job of telling a detailed technical story.
    • 3/5
      The title isn't very clear, but this book is about the story of sulfa, the first antibiotic that was discovered. Not only does the book talk about how scientists discovered sulfa, but the book also talks about how it influenced the way that drugs are regulated, the nature of pharmaceutical companies, and the way that doctors work. There were some short comments in the book that made me feel that the author did know what it's like to work in the laboratory, and that made me appreciate the book.The thing I didn't like about the book was that it didn't seem very organized and kind of jumped around. Otherwise, the history was interesting. I had not known that antibiotics existed before penicillin.
    • 4/5
      Thomas has written a nice historical account of the discovery of sulfa drugs. He has researched the events and persons involved and puts the information in an interesting and informative format. His story telling methods teach and also perk interest. I also believe that Thomas has a keen perspective on the history that he discusses. I firmly recommend the book.
    • 5/5
      For most of human history, microbial infections meant deformity, long-term illness, and often death. Queen Victoria almost died because of a boil, FDR, Jr. of a sinus infection. Alchemists, midwives, and scientists have been trying to find ways of treating these illnesses. But finding something that could kill an infection without also killing the host is difficult. Even after discovering how infections were spread, it wasn’t possible to stop an infection. Lister’s solutions to sterilize operating rooms were wonderful, but could never be taken internally without causing excruciating pain.Hager takes the reader on the history of the first real triumph in antibiotics-sulfa drugs. This story spans 4 countries, two World Wars, and touches the lives of several heads of state. It includes everything necessary for a good coming-of-age novel, including a poor and struggling scientist still getting over the horrors of his time in combat, scientists snagging ideas from each other and learning things by accident, and several near-death experiences. This is not some boring scientific tome devoted to the chemical properties of chemotherapeutic medicines. It is the very human story of what drove dozens of scientists, several corporations, and governments to find drugs that seriously changed how infection was viewed on the battlefield. Hager displays several vignettes to demonstrate the path that sulfa drugs took from dye to medicine, and then to near-irrelevance. This is an excellent account that explains how the new kind of pharmaceutical research started. The early 20th century showed a new direction for scientific research. Instead of the dedicated, philanthropic, hobbyist scientist happening upon discoveries (a la Louis Pasteur), companies formed with the goal of discovering chemicals that could be created, patented, and sold at huge profits. If they saved lives, all the better. And because of this trend, government regulation became a necessity. The FDA’s history is presented as well, including the cases that allowed it to gain more prominence and hold more power to regulate the patent medicine market.This book reads like a novel that travels from the germ theory of disease to penicillin resistance, leaving the reader with a better understanding of how scientific endeavors are taken on and of many of the struggles and obstacles facing pharmaceutical researchers-and the people waiting for cures.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating story of the search for the first 'magic bullets' to fight bacteriological infections, what we now call antibiotics. Along the way, the author tells of war, setbacks, tragedies leading to the modern testing and regulatory infrastructure, blind luck, and success.
    • 4/5
      I can't remember how I came to add this to my TRL but I have a feeling it was a recommended read on StoryGraph. It turned out to be an excellent recommendation because it was SO. GOOD. Now I know that non-fiction science books are quite a niche genre of books to be gaga over but this book is a prime example of why you should give it a try if you've never ventured down this road before. Hager delves into the fascinating world of antibacterials, medical patents, and drug regulation laws. He gives the complete history of wartime injuries and disease from gas gangrene to gonorrhea and how the medical community was at a loss as to treatment or cure. And then the Germans began work on an industrial level to develop a 'magic bullet' that would not only cure strep and staph but a whole host of other bacterial diseases which at the time were death sentences. The truly interesting bits were about how these medicines were researched and developed in one country (with patents for their production process in the case of Germany and France) and then further expanded upon and improved in other countries (Great Britain and the United States held patents on brand names instead of processes). He also goes into patent medicines which at the time (1920-1940s) were unregulated and basically a free-for-all to anyone who wanted to make a quick buck. FASCINATING STUFF, YA'LL.Conclusion: If you like history and most especially medical history then this book needs to be added to your list toot sweet.