The Drug Book

October 15, 2013

Gerald (pharmacy, emeritus, Univ. of Connecticut; The Complete Idiot's Guide to Prescription Drugs; The Poisonous Pen of Agatha Christie) has produced a beautiful and well-researched historical guide to significant drugs. Short, chronologically arranged monographs begin with herbs and alcohol and include coffee and tea as well as more conventional medicines. The majority of pages cover 20th-century drugs, and 19 sections relate to 21st-century medicines, with five sections tackling substances of the future, such as "smart drugs," anti-aging drugs, and gene therapy. VERDICT This title will be of interest to history of medicine readers and related collections.--Mary Chitty, Cambridge Healthtech Inst., Needham, MA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2013
This book is organized chronologically, beginning with entries on the use of Herbs and Alcohol from the dawn of mankind and ending with a glimpse at the future with a discussion of Female Viagra and Gene therapy. Entries consist of a few paragraphs on one page, with a photo or illustration on the facing page. Handy see also references appear at the end of each article. There is a brief bibliography for each entry located at the back of the book, and a thorough index leads browsers directly to key people and specific drugs. As with others in the series (The Medical Book, 2012), this is not a comprehensive reference book, but it would make an excellent starting point for student researchers and is very browsable for the general reader. Recommended for most public libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)