Good Chemistry

Fülszöveg

science
^e fascinating story of one of the
mosH^ortant breakthroughs of
20th cl^tfmularmacology and
the m.
e invention
Idg^^pment by Roche of Valium and tlie benzodiazepine class of lical compounds is among the greatest accomplishments of modern pharmacology. Good Chemistry combines a detailed account of that momentous development with an engaging biography of Leo Sternbach, the brilliant chemist who invented Valium and whose achievement heralded a new era in research and therapeutics.
A thought-provoking biographical history, Good Chemi^^^eyea[s the fascinating story of a gifted young man who, forbidden to follow his passion for chemistry because he was Jewish, fled the^persecution of his homeland for the United States and overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to become one of the 20th century's premier chemists. It also traces the surprising and often dramatic developments that led to the invention of Valium, and reveals the grim history of previous anxiety therapies... Tovább

Fülszöveg

science
^e fascinating story of one of the
mosH^ortant breakthroughs of
20th cl^tfmularmacology and
the m.
e invention
Idg^^pment by Roche of Valium and tlie benzodiazepine class of lical compounds is among the greatest accomplishments of modern pharmacology. Good Chemistry combines a detailed account of that momentous development with an engaging biography of Leo Sternbach, the brilliant chemist who invented Valium and whose achievement heralded a new era in research and therapeutics.
A thought-provoking biographical history, Good Chemi^^^eyea[s the fascinating story of a gifted young man who, forbidden to follow his passion for chemistry because he was Jewish, fled the^persecution of his homeland for the United States and overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to become one of the 20th century's premier chemists. It also traces the surprising and often dramatic developments that led to the invention of Valium, and reveals the grim history of previous anxiety therapies that made the invention of the benzodiazepine group of drugs such a revolution in drug treatments.
Good Chemistry offers a fascinating cultural history of one of the most praised and maligned drugs of modern times and its impact on society.
Fifty years ago, when it came to treating acute anxiety and related disorders, the cure was often worse than the disease. Other than "the talking cure," a sufferer's options were limited to a handful of toxic substances, such as the barbiturates, which, in addition to causing significant impairment of cognitive and motor functions, were highly addictive and potentially lethal. All that changed suddenly in 1960, when the healthcare company Roche introduced Librium, the first of the benzodiazepine class of drugs. Offering the promise of a fast-acting, effective, and safer alternative, the benzodiazepines revolutionized the medical treatment of anxiety and convulsive disorders, and ushered in a new era in psy-chopharmacology research.
The advent of the benzodiazepines is now viewed as one of the greatest accomplishments of ^20th-century pharmacology. Good Chemistry tells the fascinating story of the benzodiazepines and the genius behind their discovery.
Beginning in 1908, in the Adriatic resort town of Abazzia, now a part of Croatia, Good Chemistry traces the life and career of Leo Sternbach, the pharmacist's son who, in the face of withering anti-Semitism and financial hardship, followed his passion for chemistry to become one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, or as he was dubbed by U.S. News & World Report, one of the Twenty-Five Shapers of the Modern Era. We learn about his early years as a student in Europe prior to joining Roche in Switzerland in 1940, and how the company aided his flight from Nazi persecution to a new home in the United States. It was there that in 1958, while working as a research chemist for Roche, he made his momentous discovery in a discarded test tube containing a few crystals from a long-forgotten experiment. And we learn of his no less impressive accomplishments in the years following, for which he holds an astonishing 230 patents.
The second half of Good Chemistry is a compelling medical and social history of Valium and
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its rise to near-iconic stature in our popular culture. The authors offer a lively account of Valium's uses and abuses over the past forty years and explain how the widely used epithets "panacea" and "Mother's Little Helpers" were based on a common misconception of Valium's effects on the central nervous system. They also review exciting recent research into the psy-chopharmacology of benzodiazepines that has revealed how, unlike virtually every other class of anxiolytic, sedative, and mood stabilizer, the benzodiazepines work in harmony with the body's own natural system to inhibit anxiety and manage stress.
Each day, tens of millions of people around the globe take some form of benzodiazepine to calm their fears, to help them sleep, to overcome life-threatening seizures, or to assist them through the trauma of surgery. Good Chemistry tells the captivating story of the development of these medications and of the remarkable man who introduced them to the world.
ALEX BAENNINGER is a noted journalist and author on cultural and social topics. He lives in Stettfurt, Switzerland. JORGE ALBERTO COSTA e SILVA, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at New York University Medical School, a former Executive Director for Mental Health at the World Health Organization, and a past president of the World Psychiatric Association. IAN HINDMARCH, Ph.D., holds the Chair in Human Psychopharmacology and is Head of the HPRU Medical Research Centre at the University of Surrey, U.K. HANS-JUERGEN MOELLER is a professor of Psychiatry and Chairman of the Psychiatric Department at Ludwig-Maximillians University in Munich, Germany. KARL RICKELS, M.D., is the Stuart and Emily Mudd Professor of Human Behavior and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized expert on psychopharmacology, with a particular interest in anxiety disorders.
Jacket design by Tom Lau Jacket photograph courtesy of Leo Sternbach
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