Drugs, Les Iversen
Drugs, Les Iversen
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Drugs
A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition

Author: Les Iversen

Narrator: Mike Cooper

Unabridged: 3 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/17/2021

Synopsis

The twentieth century saw a remarkable upsurge of research on drugs, with major advances in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections, heart disease, stomach ulcers, cancer, and metal illnesses. These, along with the introduction of the oral contraceptive, have altered all of our lives.

There has also been an increase in the recreational use and abuse of drugs in the Western world.

This Very Short Introduction, in its second edition, gives a non-technical account of how drugs work in the body. Reviewing both legal (alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine) and illegal drugs, Les Iversen discusses why some are addictive, and whether drug laws need reform.

About Les Iversen

Les Iversen is a visiting professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford. He was director of the MRC Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit in Cambridge (1970-1983) and then vice president of neuroscience for the American pharmaceutical company Merck Inc (1983-1995). He is best known for his work on the role of monoamine transport mechanisms in the inactivation of monoamines in the brain, and as targets for psychoactive drugs. His books include The Science of Marijuana, 2nd Edition and Speed, Ecstasy, Ritalin: The Science of Amphetamines.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Seth

I want to like this book. It contains a lot of information about drugs in several relevant fields of study - history, biochemistry, law, econonomics, etc. - much of which was new to me. Two issues are holding me back from giving it more than two stars. The first is factual. In the section on how drug......more

Goodreads review by AB

Being a student pharmacist and all, I loved this book. It was like a short revision after a whole year of a bunch of information. It organizes everything in your brain especially if you know what he's talking about. For those who have no idea about health or medications, you might find it a bit detaile......more

Goodreads review by Daniel

Chapter 1: History Chapter 2: How drugs work Chapter 3: Drugs as medicines Chapter 4: Recreational drugs Chapter 5: Making new medicines Chapter 6: What can we expect from the future?......more

Goodreads review by Zac

Well I want some now......more

Goodreads review by Koen

This very short introduction tackles mainly medicinal drugs and explains how they work. I found the chapter on recreational drugs is slightly disappointing as it did not provide much new information. Also, the book tends to use specific terms that make it a tough read for people not so well schooled......more

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