Ten Drugs: How Plants, Powders, and Pills Have Shaped the History of Medicine

Thomas Hager traces the history of medicine through ten landmark drugs, examining the stories behind their discovery and development. Each drug's history involves different catalysts—a researcher's insight, geopolitical events, technological breakthroughs, or unexpected clinical findings. By connecting these narratives across a century, Hager demonstrates how drugs have shaped both medical practice and culture. The book begins with opium, used for 10,000 years, and progresses through other significant medications including smallpox inoculation, knockout drops, the first antibiotic, the first antipsychotic, Viagra, statins, and monoclonal antibodies. Among the subjects is a largely forgotten female pioneer who introduced smallpox inoculation to Britain. The narrative covers how the first antipsychotic helped empty public mental hospitals and how the first antibiotic saved countless lives.