The Story of Taxol
The Story of Taxol
Vivien Walsh, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
$52.99
USDTaxol is arguably the most celebrated, talked-about and controversial natural product in recent years. It is celebrated because of its efficacy as an anti-cancer drug and because its discovery has provided powerful support for policies concerned with biodiversity; talked about because in the late 1980s and early 1990s the American public was bombarded with news reports and special programmes about the molecule and its host, the Pacific yew; and controversial because during the early 1990s the drug and the tree became embroiled in a number of very sensitive political issues with wide implications for the conduct of public policy. The Story of Taxol tells this story.
- A rich analysis of the most talked-about anti-cancer drug of recent years
- Provides a fascinating account of nature's secrets and the difficulty of discovering them
- Brings to life the politics of public property and private interests
Reviews & endorsements
"...well written and well documented. This book is recommended to anyone connected with cancer research, whether health professionals or patient. I would also highly recommend this book to students, not only in history, but in pharmacy, medicine, and nursing. It certainly will help build an understanding of the complexity required to bring a life-saving medicine to those who use it." Pharmacy in History
"...an extremely timely and interesting book; a fascinating history...I learned a great deal from this book, and I strongly recommend it." American Journal of Sociology
"[The authors'] detailed, well-researched account will be enjoyed by historians and scientists interested in the drug-development process and its many potential pitfalls." Science
"Jordan Goodman and Vivien Walsh have written a well-researched, careful account... At the same time, they provide an important exemplification of twentieth century public-private research relationships, the privatization of natural resources, and the backstage political activities involved in determining what is in the `best interest' of the public." Isis
"It is a fascinating, well-written, and compelling history." Rima D. Apple, Journal of American History
"...insightful....This book is suited for practically all researchers, faculty, and professionals whatever their personal interests, since it contains something for nearly everyone: scientific fact, political strategy, business considerations, and social questions." Choice
"It is carefully researched and detailed, and as someone who was at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) during part of the development of Taxol, I found it factually accurate." New England Journal of Medicine
"[Goodman and Walsh] have written a thorough account of the discovery, development, and politics of the cancer drug taxol...[T]his is a succinct study and covers its subject from many viewpoints...To some, this story will be a wonderful example of how people working together can discover an important medicine; to others, it might be a good example of how tax money is used to subsidize big business. An excellent book." Library Journal
"A very readable and reliable account of the development of Taxol through 1992." Chemical & Engineering News
"The story of Taxol is a significant one that has received little attention from historians, and this book fills a gap in the literature. It is carefully researched, drawing upon a host of published and unpublished sources, as well as interviews with some of the key participants...an excellent book. It should be of interest not onlt to historians of science and medicine, but also to environmental and business historians, and in fact to anyone who would like to learn more about the development of this important therapeutic agent." American Historical Review
Product details
November 2006Paperback
9780521032506
300 pages
228 × 151 × 17 mm
0.453kg
8 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I. Agents:
- 1. Cancer chemotherapy: plant knowledge and practice
- Part II. Practices:
- 2. Act I:
- 1962–75
- 3. Act II:
- 1976–83
- 4. Act III:
- 1984–9
- Part III. Controversies:
- 5. The politics of exclusivity and the business of taxol
- 6. The political life (and death) of Taxus Brevifolia
- References and bibliography
- Index.
