Whispers of Medicine's Past
Unearthing Bright and Dark Tales
by
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It requires more than good fortune for discoveries to become beneficial for humans in their daily lives.
For the process to be successful, Intellect, perseverance, and vivid imagination are all essential.
A Similar observation could pass without recognizing its significance to others until a discoverer with a vivid imagination recognizes its practical application to daily life.
Also, recognizing a potential solution to daily problems alone without perseverance would not lead to a new discovery, as many pioneers to be abandon their attempt at their first setback before achieving the glory of belonging to the Discoverer Club.
A typical example is Michael Heidelberger, and Walter Jacobs, who synthesized sulfanilamide in 1915.
Their investigation was terminated because the researchers were unable to envision that sulfonamide would be effective against bacterial infection. As a result, the development of sulfa drugs was delayed for twenty years.
The Oxford Dictionary defines Serendipity as “the faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident.” It is a better word for describing the role of chance in medical discoveries because it emphasizes the role of the researcher in the process, who had to recognize the significance of the phenomenon, test it, and act on it.
Society tends to elevate researchers morally above the rest, and stories of medical breakthroughs are frequently told in a utopian style.
This book tells stories of the process of discoveries, not only its This book tells stories of the process of discoveries, not only its success but its setbacks, and more importantly highlights its collateral damage, often the weak and vulnerable.
This book also uncovers some of those researchers’ darker side, jealousy, backstabbing, plain racism, and in one case, alleged murder.
Finally, it revealed the poor moral standards of a society willing to put human subjects through extreme risks in the name of scientific research. Often mentally challenged children who could not have given any consent, certainly not informed one.
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About the Book
Dr. Amer Husseini shines a spotlight on individuals who have made amazing medical discoveries.
He also explores how making such discoveries requires not only intellect, but also perseverance, and a vivid imagination.
There have been countless others who have made similar observations as the individuals featured in this book, that never fully grasped the potential impact of what they saw. True pioneers are defined not just by what they know and see, but by their determination to bring their discovery to the world.
One such example is Michael Heidelberger, and Walter Jacobs, who first synthesized sulfanilamide in 1915.
Their investigation was ultimately terminated because the researchers were unable to envision that sulfonamide would be effective against bacterial infection. As a result, the development of sulfa drugs was delayed for an additional twenty years.
Join the author as he examines past medical discoveries, successes and failures, and the noble and sometimes not-so-ethical practices that have led to revolutionary changes in medicine.
About the Author
Dr. Amer Husseini has been practicing medicine in Chicago since 1986. Throughout his career, he has witnessed significant discoveries in the art of healing first-hand. He is passionate about sharing stories of medical discoveries and their discoverers like those contained in this book.