Brainstorming: The Science and Politics of Opiate Research

by Solomon H. Snyder

The discovery of how opiates such as morphine & heroin relieve pain & produce euphoria makes for one of the most dramatic tales of modern science. Illustrated.
Prologue
The politics of science
Drug wars
Stalking the opiate receptor
Designer drugs
From opiates to schizophrenia
Receptivity
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index

220 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 1989

Reviews

[Erik Graff]

This was a fascinating book about the endorphin and related receptors which govern pain awareness discovered in the course of basic research about heroin addiction during the seventies. Written by the lead researcher, this book is at once a clear exposition of the science involved and of the methodologies, scientific and social, employed. It is also a strong indictment of the politics of drugs in the USA.

[Steve Albert]

A bit over my head (helps to know a reasonable amount about molecular biology) but still a fun read. Also I don't normally do trigger warnings, but if you're squeamish about animal research you'll need to know there's a fair amount of that in here.