Fangland

Literature & Fiction

John Marks

Contemporary

Vintage Books USA

<p>The story of the benzodiazepines is a fascinating one: the synthesis of a long series of inert compounds and the abandonment of the project: months later, the renewal of the project and the discovery that this compound R05-0690 (Librium ®) was a sedative and muscle relaxant in laboratory animals: the recognition that its postulated structure was wrong and that it was in fact a member of an entirely new chemical class: the excitement caused by the discovery of the powerful taming effect of the drug in wild animals: the even greater excitement in medical circles when its dramatic anxiety relieving effects were cstablished in humans: the subsequent enormous world wide usc of drugs of the benzodiazepine group. I have reason to know the story well for during that period I worked in various capacities in research, marketing and manage ment in the British subsidiary of F. Hoffmann-Ia Roche. It was during this period that I became interested in whether dependence on benzodiazepines could occur and if so to what extent, but felt that this could be examined best from outside the concern. Having now retired from Roche back to academic medicine I have taken the opportunity to examine and analyse the evidence.</p>

The Benzodiazepines: Use, overuse, misuse, abuse

Science & Math

Mathematics

Springer London

Throughout the history of mankind from primitive man to the present time, vitamin ddiciencies have been a major cause of death and disease. Pellagra, scurvy and beri-beri have decimated armies, ships' crews and even nations (Figure I). As late as 1925 the disease 'pernicious' anaemia caused by the ab­ sence of vitamin Bl2 within a person's body really lived up to its name. Although there were isolated instances of recognition of dietary deficien­ cies even a thousand years ago, the importance of dietary factors in the gene­ sis of these diseases was more widely recognized from the eighteenth century onwards and it was not until this century that the chemical structure of these factors was determined and the substances themselves synthesized. As the science of biochemistry has developed it has been found that the clinical manifestations of vitamin deficiency follow derangement of multiple metabolic functions. The majority of the vitamins in fact form specific co-en­ zymes in various chemical processes but at least one is converted within the body into a hormone. The commercial extraction and synthesis of the vitamins, which began mainly in the 1930S and 1940s, produced adequate quantities for a relief of vitamin detlciency diseases. The use of vitamins then became fashionable and dramatic cures were claimed for an ever increasing number of diseases.

A Guide to the Vitamins: Their Role in Health and Disease

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Birmingham on Old Postcards: v. 1

Reflections of a Bygone Age

Birmingham Inns and Pubs (Yesterday's Warwickshire)

Battle of the Blues: The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race From 1829

Mark Edwards

Hugh Matheson

Barbara Slater

Christopher J. Dodd

Duncan Clegg

Donald Legget

Mike Sweeney

Sports & Outdoors

P to M Limited

Shadows and Light: An anthology of stories by veterans and their partners, healing through post-traumatic stress

Biographies & Memoirs

Chris Hodder

Garry Daly

Marty Miles

Nikko Nicholas

Pekka Hirvonen

Terry Wolff

Trevor McLean

Leaders & Notable People

Busybird Publishing

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Books by John Marks