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

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 417 ratings

Price: 24.95

Last update: 02-01-2025


About this item

Behind every landmark drug is a story. It could be an oddball researcher’s genius insight, a catalyzing moment in geopolitical history, a new breakthrough technology, or an unexpected but welcome side effect discovered during clinical trials. Piece together these stories, as Thomas Hager does in this remarkable, century-spanning history, and you can trace the evolution of our culture and the practice of medicine.

Beginning with opium, the “joy plant,” which has been used for 10,000 years, Hager tells a captivating story of medicine. His subjects include the largely forgotten female pioneer who introduced smallpox inoculation to Britain, the infamous knockout drops, the first antibiotic, which saved countless lives, the first antipsychotic, which helped empty public mental hospitals, Viagra, statins, and the new frontier of monoclonal antibodies. This is a deep, wide-ranging, and wildly entertaining book.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Collin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
    I bought this book for 2 friends in medicine after I finished. It looked interesting and I read it cover to cover in no time. You are guaranteed to be fascinated by: 1. The history of medical drugs 2. The creation and methods of big pharma 3. The future of medicine and pharmaceuticals. The author is clear about his opinions while also being very true to the evidence he has found: both on current topics and historical ones. You also don't need to be in medicine to understand it all. Every doctor and nurse should read this.
  • A. Yoshida
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Popular History
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2019
    The book is a loud popular history of the development of modern pharmaceutical drugs. It is particularly solid and enjoyable in its earlier sections, as it details the evolution of various opiates and modern opioids. Likewise, it tells some fairly unknown stories (at least to me) in talking about portions of the earlier history of antibiotics and anti-psychotics. It does lag slightly (and become somewhat political) in the final section, as the drug evolution story intersects with the author’s own life. This one reservation aside, I recommend this book to anyone looking for further insight into how drugs have been and are developed and how they fit into our culture and history.
  • William F. Cosgriff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Of drugs, medicine and society
    Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2023
    If you want to get a grasp on how medicine affects society, this look at the development of ten of the most important drugs in medical history will do that. A well written and fast paced story full of information on how medicines come about, how they are put to use, and how they affect our world. It is also a good sketch of how medical minds work, and how business minds think about medicine.
  • Bama Fan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for anyone interested in hearing unique stories of history.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2019
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I didn't know a lot about the history of opiates or sulfa and it was good to read that information as well as about how someone else basically discovered the concept of vaccination. The end of the book does seem to take a left turn a bit when describing the pharmaceutical industry, however, the author does bring up some good points. This is the first book that I've read by Thomas Hager, but it certainly won't be my last as I enjoyed his style, his storytelling and great information. If you enjoy books like Napoleon's Buttons or Stuff Matters, then you will certainly enjoy this one as well!
  • Me
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2023
    A good way to demonstrate the importance of drugs and what the history behind each of them. Next time at the drug store will be a different experience.
  • StuartNZ
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
    A quick informative read which helped my big Pharma research . It’s quite scary when you think about the statin path
  • Robin S S
    5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, thought provoking and entertaining.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2023
    I liked this book on Audible so much I bought a few copies to share with others. The historical aspects of the drugs he covers is enlightening. I appreciate the author's perspective that the practice of medicine today is little more than selling drugs.
  • Taylor P.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book about the development of important drugs...and the good and bad impact on society.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2019
    Tom Hager is a terrific writer (The Alchemy of Air and The Demon Under the Microscope) and he does it again with Ten Drugs. Mr. Hager has an amazing way of taking very complex science and making it easy to understand. I have already given away several copies of this book to friends and colleagues. I look forward to his next book!

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