Antimicrobial Drugs: Chronicle of a Twentieth-Century Medical Triumph

Abstract

Professor Greenwood's experience of medical microbiology is second to none. During his active career of more than 40 years he was witness to much of one of the most extraordinary revolutions in therapy that has occurred. This and his abiding interest in medical history makes him an ideal author for a history of antibiotics. One of the more socially attractive aspects of infectious disease is that the general public may easily grasp the main concepts of causation and treatment, so that terms such as ‘MRSA’, ‘C.diff’ and (unfortunately) ‘flesh-eating virus’ are now commonplace in the media and are widely understood, as are the general principles of ‘antibiotics’ (although with many misconceptions). This leads to the question as to whether the general public will find this book suitable reading. My feeling is that it might provide too rich a diet, although the author has tried to make it easier, and the relative lack of chemical formulae should reassure the intelligent layman. That said, for the medical and scientific professional, as well as the medical historian, this book is a veritable feast; drama, intrigue, double-dealing, commercial chicanery, extraordinary dedication, the vagaries of ‘Lady Luck’, all are there.