At the height of the Great Depression, the mysterious deaths of children in Oklahoma sparked an unprecedented investigation of a new and powerful antibiotic elixir. In a "nationwide race with death," US government agents struggled to seize and destroy hundreds of bottles of the toxic drug before more children could be killed. Elixir tells the shocking true story of the deaths of more than 100 Americans who fell victim to this untested drug, the forces that led to the disaster, and the parallels to similar episodes of drug poisoning that continue to this day. Barbara J. Martin has compiled the most detailed historical account to date of this vast pharmaceutical tragedy and the myriad reactions to the fatal poisonings-from the manufacturer, the prescribing doctors, the dispensing pharmacists, and the organizations that had a significant stake in this tragedy, including the American Medical Association, the Food and Drug Administration, and Congress. Elixir follows this industrial catastrophe to its alarming conclusion with important insights for the 21st century.
Author: Barbara J. Martin Publisher: Barkerry Press Published: 02/24/2014 Pages: 336 Binding Type: Paperback Weight: 0.99lbs Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.70d ISBN: 9780615898179
About the Author A native East Tennessean, Barbara J. Martin is a formerly practicing neurologist who received her undergraduate degree and medical doctorate from Duke University before completing her postgraduate training in general neurology and neuromuscular diseases at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She has worked in academia, private practice, medical publishing, drug market research, and continuing medical education. She is the owner of and sole contributor to Pathophilia (www.bmartinmd.com), a blog covering the drug and health care industries (as well as providing the occasional movie recommendation). She currently lives in Evanston, Illinois. Elixir: The American Tragedy of a Deadly Drug is her first book.
