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Elixir: The American Tragedy of a Deadly Drug
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.
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.
- GenresScience
334 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 12, 2016
Elixir is an exhaustively researched and wonderfully well written account of the Sulfanilamide Disaster of 1937, in which the toxic solvent diethylene glycol caused the unfortunate death of more than 100 patients and largely contributed to the passing of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938.
The book chronicles the crisis from its first known victim to its last, along the way recounting the responses and reactions of the affected families, the prescribing doctors, and the manufacturer. No detail is spared as you read about the herculean efforts expended by FDA agents across the nation to collect an account for every drop of the elixir in the wild, the challenges of passing stronger drug legislation, a short primer on the origins of modern pharmaceutical companies, and a brief of other diethylene glycol related incidents since 1938.
The author effectively crafts a narrative that is often technical, yet consistently engaging and surprisingly accessible. In a way I feel this work serves as a kind of dignified memorial to the lives lost to elixir sulfanilamide, as well as the people who have worked to make medicine safer since.
I would highly recommend this book to any student or practitioner of medicine or pharmacy as well as anyone interested in medical history.
A sincere thank you to Barbara J. Martin for researching and writing this book and of course Goodreads First Reads for giving me the opportunity to learn from it!
The book chronicles the crisis from its first known victim to its last, along the way recounting the responses and reactions of the affected families, the prescribing doctors, and the manufacturer. No detail is spared as you read about the herculean efforts expended by FDA agents across the nation to collect an account for every drop of the elixir in the wild, the challenges of passing stronger drug legislation, a short primer on the origins of modern pharmaceutical companies, and a brief of other diethylene glycol related incidents since 1938.
The author effectively crafts a narrative that is often technical, yet consistently engaging and surprisingly accessible. In a way I feel this work serves as a kind of dignified memorial to the lives lost to elixir sulfanilamide, as well as the people who have worked to make medicine safer since.
I would highly recommend this book to any student or practitioner of medicine or pharmacy as well as anyone interested in medical history.
A sincere thank you to Barbara J. Martin for researching and writing this book and of course Goodreads First Reads for giving me the opportunity to learn from it!
April 15, 2014
In the fall of 1937 Elixir Sulfanilamide, a new liquid formulation of an established antibiotic, was prescribed to scores of children and adults for various ailments including strep throat and gonorrhea. In the course of just over a month over 100 people would die as a result. To the 21st century mind it seems unfathomable that an untested medical formulation could legally have been prescribed, and even more unfathomable that that formulation would have purposely included a major chemical component of present-day paint stripper, sterno fuel and antifreeze. Yet in the days before any effective regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, when dye manufacturers dabbled in making medicines, this is exactly what happened.
I was fascinated by this account of this horrific tragedy. I was somewhat apprehensive that, being written by a medical doctor, this book might read as very dry and technical, but that was not the case at all. Although the volume is very thorough and appears quite well-researched, the writing style is highly readable and the inclusion of personal details about the victims and their families adds a welcome level of intimacy. This work is comprehensive, including details of the resulting civil and criminal lawsuits, subsequent legislation to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future, and instances where, sadly, the story has repeated itself time and time again the world over. I did notice some scattered grammatical errors suggesting the editing was not as tight as it could have been, but overall I found this very well done.
I was fascinated by this account of this horrific tragedy. I was somewhat apprehensive that, being written by a medical doctor, this book might read as very dry and technical, but that was not the case at all. Although the volume is very thorough and appears quite well-researched, the writing style is highly readable and the inclusion of personal details about the victims and their families adds a welcome level of intimacy. This work is comprehensive, including details of the resulting civil and criminal lawsuits, subsequent legislation to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future, and instances where, sadly, the story has repeated itself time and time again the world over. I did notice some scattered grammatical errors suggesting the editing was not as tight as it could have been, but overall I found this very well done.
August 7, 2018
This was a very interesting story about an untested medicine that killed an awful lot of people before the FDA had any power to control what was allowed on our markets. I found this very disturbing that a well known company absolutely knew that there drug was killing people, and they took no responsibility for it. Because this was done my Massengil company, I'm inclined to stay far away from any of their stuff...because they didn't pay for it, and probably think they could get away with doing this again. It's like the talcum powder that Johnson and Johnson have been pushing on women for years, for personal use and use on their baby girls...only to find out that it is a known carcinogen which lead to cancer.
This continues to happen today when the FDA either has no control over the many over-the-counter medications that are labeled as vitamins or minerals, such as the current fad with dietary bacteria for the gut. NOthing is known about whether this stuff is good or bad for people, but someone advertises and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Plus the big concern about Big PHarma buying their way through the FDA thanks to our government being scared by science and undoing what we are supposed to be protected from...makes it more likely that this will happen again.
Good research, but the writing left a little to be desired...at least for me.
This continues to happen today when the FDA either has no control over the many over-the-counter medications that are labeled as vitamins or minerals, such as the current fad with dietary bacteria for the gut. NOthing is known about whether this stuff is good or bad for people, but someone advertises and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Plus the big concern about Big PHarma buying their way through the FDA thanks to our government being scared by science and undoing what we are supposed to be protected from...makes it more likely that this will happen again.
Good research, but the writing left a little to be desired...at least for me.
February 22, 2015
I found this to be an interesting book. I think the best way to describe it is that it is a history book that focuses on different types of history: U.S. medical history, U.S. political history, U.S. business history, and world history. The author does a good job of blending these together, though admittedly the world history part is mostly limited to the last chapter of the book.
The book is about how over 100 people died because they took a "medication" that was prescribed to them by their physicians. (Though as discussed in the book, sometimes the patient's did not need a prescription to get the elixir.) This medication, called Elixir Sulfanilamide, was made by the Massengill company as a liquid form of the drug Sulfanilamide, which was only available in tablet and capsule form. Part of the mixture included Diethylene Glycol, which is toxic, and is used in products such as antifreeze and brake fluid. Starting with 6 deaths in Tulsa, the FDA agents, physicians, chemists, and druggists, amongst others worked to solve the reason these patients died even as the death toll grew. This included trying to get the product off the shelves and away from consumers.
It was not very easy for the FDA agents for many reasons. Records were not kept as they should have been; doctors, druggists, salesmen of the drug, and even patients stonewalled their effort; and the 1906 law that was on the books did not give them much in the way government backing. Additionally, many of the vials of the product was given away as samples, across a wide area, by salesmen who did not write down where each one went. Also, Samuel E. Massengill, president of the Massengill company did not offer as much help as he could have, and via his lawyers and press releases seemed more interested in his business' standing than the deaths that occurred.
One of the things this book did was help me appreciate the U.S. FDA regulations more. When the government went after the Massengill company, it was not for putting a product out to the public that was toxic, even when taken as directed. The 1906 law allowed the FDA to prosecute the company because the used the term "elixir". The stronger laws that came about because of this deadly tragedy has helped protect the public. This book describes the political maneuverings to get things passed, and it seems that politics in 2015 is not much different than politics in 1937. I've been to museums that show old remedy's stating they are a cure-all for many ills. I have often chuckled at what these bottles said, but now I understand a little bit better how dangerous some of them may have been.
I like this book. It was educational, and though at times it was written like an article that one would find in a medical journal, I found for the most part a layperson such as myself could follow and understand what was being discussed. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes history, especially medical history.
The book is about how over 100 people died because they took a "medication" that was prescribed to them by their physicians. (Though as discussed in the book, sometimes the patient's did not need a prescription to get the elixir.) This medication, called Elixir Sulfanilamide, was made by the Massengill company as a liquid form of the drug Sulfanilamide, which was only available in tablet and capsule form. Part of the mixture included Diethylene Glycol, which is toxic, and is used in products such as antifreeze and brake fluid. Starting with 6 deaths in Tulsa, the FDA agents, physicians, chemists, and druggists, amongst others worked to solve the reason these patients died even as the death toll grew. This included trying to get the product off the shelves and away from consumers.
It was not very easy for the FDA agents for many reasons. Records were not kept as they should have been; doctors, druggists, salesmen of the drug, and even patients stonewalled their effort; and the 1906 law that was on the books did not give them much in the way government backing. Additionally, many of the vials of the product was given away as samples, across a wide area, by salesmen who did not write down where each one went. Also, Samuel E. Massengill, president of the Massengill company did not offer as much help as he could have, and via his lawyers and press releases seemed more interested in his business' standing than the deaths that occurred.
One of the things this book did was help me appreciate the U.S. FDA regulations more. When the government went after the Massengill company, it was not for putting a product out to the public that was toxic, even when taken as directed. The 1906 law allowed the FDA to prosecute the company because the used the term "elixir". The stronger laws that came about because of this deadly tragedy has helped protect the public. This book describes the political maneuverings to get things passed, and it seems that politics in 2015 is not much different than politics in 1937. I've been to museums that show old remedy's stating they are a cure-all for many ills. I have often chuckled at what these bottles said, but now I understand a little bit better how dangerous some of them may have been.
I like this book. It was educational, and though at times it was written like an article that one would find in a medical journal, I found for the most part a layperson such as myself could follow and understand what was being discussed. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes history, especially medical history.
December 26, 2014
I was a GoodReads First Shelf recipient of this book, my first, yay! I received it for free and my review is my own honest thoughts.
The book is about the mysterious rapid deaths (mainly of children) who were given the liquid sulfanilamide. What follows is a fascinating view of the beginning of drug testing, how pharmaceutical companies in the Great Depression era were run, and the epic efforts to recall the drug from all over the country. Imagine having to do a drug recall when there were few phones, no internet, no television!
I was a pre-med student in college, so I had no problem at all understanding the book. However, I really don't think that you have to have a medical background to read this, but merely an interest in medicine and sociology. It reads not as a textbook but as a novel, but has copious end notes for those who want to do future research.
I think the part I was most surprised about was the role of pharmaceutical companies, and how some had nothing to do with DEVELOPING a drug, but were basically resellers. It makes me think a little harder now about how long it takes a drug to get to market.
Thank you for the opportunity to read the book!
The book is about the mysterious rapid deaths (mainly of children) who were given the liquid sulfanilamide. What follows is a fascinating view of the beginning of drug testing, how pharmaceutical companies in the Great Depression era were run, and the epic efforts to recall the drug from all over the country. Imagine having to do a drug recall when there were few phones, no internet, no television!
I was a pre-med student in college, so I had no problem at all understanding the book. However, I really don't think that you have to have a medical background to read this, but merely an interest in medicine and sociology. It reads not as a textbook but as a novel, but has copious end notes for those who want to do future research.
I think the part I was most surprised about was the role of pharmaceutical companies, and how some had nothing to do with DEVELOPING a drug, but were basically resellers. It makes me think a little harder now about how long it takes a drug to get to market.
Thank you for the opportunity to read the book!
June 23, 2015
I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.
This is a true account of the more than 100 deaths resulting from an elixir of a new and powerful antibiotic, sulfanilamide, in the 1930s. It was prescribed for strep throat, scarlet fever, and gonorrhea, and was initially seen as a miracle drug, especially for gonorrhea - and then people started to die. No one wanted to admit the new miracle drug was to blame, and more people died before anything was done. The culprit was diethylene glycol, a solvent added to the elixir.
Most heartbreaking was the letter sent by the mother of the 6-year-old victim, Joan Marlar, to President Roosevelt, begging him for help:
"It is easy for people to say 'Try to think that she died that others might live.' It is easier to say when it doesn't strike in your own home."
She enclosed a photo of her daughter, "an impish-looking girl with Shirley Temple curls."
Sadly, there have been deaths due to the same cause (addition of diethylene glycol to an elixir) as late as 2008.
This is an interesting, very detailed and well researched book on a subject that I had never heard about.
This is a true account of the more than 100 deaths resulting from an elixir of a new and powerful antibiotic, sulfanilamide, in the 1930s. It was prescribed for strep throat, scarlet fever, and gonorrhea, and was initially seen as a miracle drug, especially for gonorrhea - and then people started to die. No one wanted to admit the new miracle drug was to blame, and more people died before anything was done. The culprit was diethylene glycol, a solvent added to the elixir.
Most heartbreaking was the letter sent by the mother of the 6-year-old victim, Joan Marlar, to President Roosevelt, begging him for help:
"It is easy for people to say 'Try to think that she died that others might live.' It is easier to say when it doesn't strike in your own home."
She enclosed a photo of her daughter, "an impish-looking girl with Shirley Temple curls."
Sadly, there have been deaths due to the same cause (addition of diethylene glycol to an elixir) as late as 2008.
This is an interesting, very detailed and well researched book on a subject that I had never heard about.
September 7, 2016
I won this book in a Good Reads contest. This book was very technical with lots of details. I was shocked while reading this . So many dangerous drugs are manufactured around the world it is a bit scary. This book had a very detailed history of what happened years ago with a drug meant to help but had the opposite effect.
April 18, 2014
This is a great book. I love medical books and this one was so interesting and gripping.
Everyone need to read this book, It effects us all
Everyone need to read this book, It effects us all
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews