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The Drug Hunters
- The Improbable Quest to Discover New Medicines
- Narrated by: James Foster
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
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Publisher's summary
The search to find medicines is as old as disease, which is to say as old as the human race. Through serendipity - by chewing, brewing, and snorting - some Neolithic souls discovered opium, alcohol, snakeroot, juniper, frankincense, and other helpful substances. Ötzi the Iceman, the 5,000-year-old hunter frozen in the Italian Alps, was found to have whipworms in his intestines and Bronze Age medicine, a worm-killing birch fungus, knotted to his leggings. Nowadays Big Pharma conglomerates spend billions of dollars on state-of-the art laboratories staffed by PhDs to discover blockbuster drugs. Yet despite our best efforts to engineer cures, luck, trial and error, risk, and ingenuity are still fundamental to medical discovery.
The Drug Hunters is a colorful, fact-filled narrative history of the search for new medicines from our Neolithic forebears to the professionals of today and from quinine and aspirin to Viagra, Prozac, and Lipitor.
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Influenza
- The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
- By: Dr. Jeremy Brown
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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On the 100th anniversary of the devastating pandemic of 1918, Jeremy Brown, a veteran ER doctor, explores the troubling, terrifying, and complex history of the flu virus, from the origins of the Great Flu that killed millions, to vexing questions such as: are we prepared for the next epidemic, should you get a flu shot, and how close are we to finding a cure?
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Important read
- By Kathryn C. on 12-21-18
By: Dr. Jeremy Brown
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The Secret History of the War on Cancer
- By: Devra Davis Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The War on Cancer was run by leaders of industries that made cancer-causing products and sometimes also profited from drugs and technologies for finding and treating the disease. Filled with compelling personalities and never-before-revealed information, The Secret History of the War on Cancer shows how we began fighting the wrong war, with the wrong weapons, against the wrong enemies, a legacy that persists to this day.
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Silly Book
- By Adam Smith on 12-24-14
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The Language of Life
- DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine
- By: Francis S. Collins
- Narrated by: Greg Itzin
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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A scientific and medical revolution has crept up on us, based on study after study, from hundreds of laboratories around the world. It is no longer just a theoretical shift: every one of us will be touched by it, and many of us already have been. The meaning of disease, our understanding of the human body, and crucial decisions about what we all need to know and what choices we make about our health are at stake. Welcome to the new world of personalized medicine.
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The future of medicine
- By Ronald E on 04-12-10
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A Short History of Medicine
- Modern Library Chronicles
- By: Frank Gonzalez-Crussi
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Praised for his erudite writing, renowned scientist Frank Gonzalez-Crussi penned this concise history of medicine, beginning with the most primitive health-care practices and ending with the technology of modern medicine that we enjoy today. As with all Modern Library Chronicles, A Short History of Medicine is a wonderful primer for anyone interested in the subject.
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Dull and Disorganized
- By Amazon Customer on 05-21-08
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The Remedy
- Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis
- By: Thomas Goetz
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1875, tuberculosis was the deadliest disease in the world, accountable for a third of all deaths. A diagnosis of TB - often called consumption - was a death sentence. Then, in a triumph of medical science, a German doctor named Robert Koch deployed an unprecedented scientific rigor to discover the bacteria that caused TB. Koch soon embarked on a remedy - a remedy that would be his undoing. When Koch announced his cure for consumption, Arthur Conan Doyle, then a small-town doctor in England and sometime writer, went to Berlin to cover the event.
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thought-provoking
- By Jean on 07-06-14
By: Thomas Goetz
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Viruses, Plagues, and History
- Past, Present, and Future
- By: Michael B. A. Oldstone
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of viruses and humanity is a story of fear and ignorance, of grief and heartbreak, and of great bravery and sacrifice. Michael Oldstone tells all these stories as he illuminates the history of the devastating diseases that have tormented humanity, focusing mostly on the most famous viruses. For this revised edition, Oldstone includes discussions of new viruses like SARS, bird flu, virally caused cancers, chronic wasting disease, and West Nile. Viruses, Plagues, and History paints a sweeping portrait of humanity's long-standing conflict with our unseen viral enemies.
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very detailed, but very statistical
- By ekhensel15 on 01-12-19
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The Cancer Chronicles
- Unlocking Medicine's Deepest Mystery
- By: George Johnson
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When the woman he loved was diagnosed with a metastatic cancer, science writer George Johnson embarked on a journey to learn everything he could about the disease and the people who dedicate their lives to understanding and combating it. What he discovered is a revolution under way - an explosion of new ideas about what cancer really is and where it comes from. In a provocative and intellectually vibrant exploration, he takes us on an adventure through the history and recent advances of cancer research that will challenge everything you thought you knew about the disease.
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A quick read - hard to put down
- By Digital Dilema on 09-06-13
By: George Johnson
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Drugged: The Science and Culture Behind Psychotropic Drugs
- By: Richard J. Miller
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In Drugged, Miller takes listeners on an eye-opening tour of psychotropic drugs, describing the various kinds, how they were discovered and developed, and how they have played multiple roles in virtually every culture. Drugged brims with surprises, revealing the fact that antidepressant drugs evolved from rocket fuel, highlighting the role of hallucinogens in the history of religion, and asking whether Prozac can help depressed cats. Entertaining and authoritative, Drugged is a truly fascinating book.
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Interesting reading but heavy on the biochemistry
- By Scott on 06-28-14
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An Epidemic of Absence
- A New Way of Understanding Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases
- By: Moises Velasquez-Manoff
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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An Epidemic of Absence asks what will happen in developing countries, which, as they become more affluent, have already seen an uptick in allergic disease: Will India end up more allergic than Europe? Velasquez-Manoff also details a controversial underground movement that has coalesced around the treatment of immune-mediated disorders with parasites. Against much of his better judgment, he joins these do-it-yourselfers and reports his surprising results.
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The point of view from a Veterinarian immunologist
- By rtgymnast on 11-03-17
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The Compatibility Gene
- How Our Bodies Fight Disease, Attract Others, and Define Our Selves
- By: Daniel M. Davis
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Most of the 25,000 genes we possess are the same for all of us. Compatibility genes are those that vary most from person to person and give each of us a unique molecular signature. These genes determine both the extent to which we are susceptible to a vast range of illnesses and the different ways each of us fights disease.
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If interested in medicine, got to read
- By Howard Sterling on 06-29-16
By: Daniel M. Davis
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What listeners say about The Drug Hunters
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Nikola
- 10-18-18
Great story and superb performance
This is a great story of how each of the major drug classes were discovered, from aspirin and antibiotics, to antidepressants and anti psychotics. A delightful read for a scientist and a layperson alike!
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1 person found this helpful
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- DRK
- 11-09-17
Fascinating book!!!
Fascinating book with invaluable insight into things we take for granted without being overly wonk-ish. In ways both good and bad you will never look at big Pharma the same again
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1 person found this helpful
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- Wallis
- 11-14-17
Very interesting and enlightening
One of those books that makes you smarter, but not necessarily more hopeful. A very interesting history of diseases and treatments, and a real insight into the pharmaceutical industry and what it takes to develop new drugs. I have read other books on the historical aspects, but this one brings it into our current day situation.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Del Lewis-Chia
- 01-19-20
Well told explanation of issues facing pharma
We Americans have strong opinions about our healthcare system but we don't really understand it. Drug Hunters provides an exceptional first hand account of how challenging prospecting for new drugs can be. Extremely well told and so interesting I went from start to finish in one session.
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- Arthur Astorino Jr
- 12-23-21
Excellent Read (listen)
I found this book interesting enjoyable and educational. The author does a terrific job of taking us back in time to the beginning of man’s use of medication‘s. And shows that the process involved in discovering medication back then is connected to the processes we still have today. As a physician I found it particularly enlightening because I did not fully appreciate the discovery methods that he divulged. The story behind each discovery is presented in a way that engages the listener’s interest and curiosity, such that it’s hard to turn the recording off until the explanation of the discovery is concluded. The book is also written in a way where are you do not need to be a physician or have any medical knowledge, I think he presents a great explanation of how we get our drugs and the process involved in doing that. As far as understanding the expense of big Pharma and the reasons behind the great costs of medication, the reader gets some hint as to why that’s the case. Although there are many other reasons for the increased price having to do with FDA regulations that probably are solvable however that’s not the purpose of this book.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-24-17
Enjoyed it very much
Great book. Was much better than I expected with a ton if interesting stories and info. Want to listen to it again just in case I missed anything.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Hinterlander
- 02-18-18
Fascinating Non-fiction
What did you love best about The Drug Hunters?
Really interesting anecdotes and histories of various remedies. So many of the drugs we take for granted today are the products of lots of perseverance, lots of knowing a good thing when you see it (that can take a long time) and lots and LOTS of luck.
Who was your favorite character and why?
N/A
What does James Foster bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I gave the narration 5 stars because the narrator never got in the way of the text. He was interested, actually knew how to pronounce all of the words, and I never said to myself, "that was an interesting choice on the narrator's part." Which means, as I said, he read it well and lively, but let the text be the main event.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
"And you thought you already liked drugs!"
Any additional comments?
This did just what I think non-fiction audio books are supposed to do. I was entertained and educated at the same time. The stories are about the people who made the breakthroughs, not about the boring (lets face it) chemicals themselves.
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1 person found this helpful
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- James R. Ely
- 10-21-17
Great listen!
I enjoyed every second of this book. In the dish into enjoying it, I learned a tremendous amount about drug hunting and our medications and how they are made. I strongly recommend this book to anyone in science for get low network connection how do I get a network connection is a lock on
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- Jami
- 07-09-18
Interesting Subject Matter, Easily Understood
I really liked this book on audio. It was interesting, informative and written on a level where a non-science person like myself can understand it. I knew that big pharma's main goal is profits, but I never thought that they pulled back on research for some of the drugs that won't make them money - things like antibiotics, where someone takes one course and that's it versus insulin or high blood pressure meds that need to be taken daily. The other big surprise was how much luck factors into whether a drug is found for a particular ailment. In addition to learning how drugs come to be, the author also gives a historical perspective of the industry and shows how little has changed when it comes to finding new drugs that work. There were also some humorous spots, such as when his wife though they were going to the beach for a weekend and instead, he had her drive him around so he could collect his drug hunting samples. This was so interesting, I listened to it in almost one sitting.
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- Benjamin R
- 02-13-18
Amazing book
A lot of interesting information about how drugs are discovered and how many of medications work.
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1 person found this helpful