Modern Australian
Men's Weekly

.

5 drugs that changed the world (and what went wrong)

  • Written by Philippa Martyr, Lecturer, Pharmacology, Women's Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia
5 drugs that changed the world (and what went wrong)

It’s hard to measure the impact of any one drug on world history. But here are five drugs we can safely say made a huge difference to our lives, often in ways we didn’t expect.

They have brought some incredible benefits. But they’ve usually also come with a legacy of complications we need to look at critically.

It’s a good reminder that today’s wonder drug may be tomorrow’s problem drug.

1. Anaesthesia

In the late 1700s, English chemist Joseph Priestley made a gas he called “phlogisticated nitrous air” (nitrous oxide). English chemist Humphry Davy thought it could be used as pain relief in surgery, but instead it became a recreational drug.

It wasn’t until 1834 that we reached another milestone. That’s when French chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas named a new gas chloroform. Scottish doctor James Young Simpson used it in 1847 to assist a birth.

Soon anaesthesia was more widely used during surgery, bringing better recovery rates. Before anaesthesia, surgical patients would often die of shock from the pain.

But any drug that can make people unconscious can also cause harm. Modern anaesthetics are still dangerous because of the risks of suppressing the nervous system.

Chloroform bottle on display
Before anaesthesia, surgical patients would die of shock from the pain. dynamosquito/flickr, CC BY-SA

Read more: A short history of anaesthesia: from unspeakable agony to unlocking consciousness

2. Penicillin

What happened in 1928 to Scottish physician Alexander Fleming is one of the classic stories of accidental drug discovery.

Fleming went on holiday, leaving some cultures of the bacterium streptococcus on his laboratory bench. When he came back, he saw some airborne penicillium (a fungal contaminant) had stopped the streptococcus from growing.

Penicillin growing on Petri dish Antibiotics saved millions of lives but we’re now suffering from their popularity. Antony Scimone by MMU Engage/flickr, CC BY-SA

Australian pathologist Howard Florey and his team stabilised penicillin and carried out the first human experiments. With American financing, penicillin was mass-produced and changed the course of World War II. It was used to treat thousands of service personnel.

Penicillin and its descendants are enormously successful front-line drugs for conditions that once killed millions of people. However, their widespread use has led to drug-resistant strains of bacteria.

Read more: Five of the scariest antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the past five years

3. Nitroglycerin

Nitroglycerin was invented in 1847 and displaced gunpowder as the most powerful explosive in the world. It was also the first modern drug to treat angina, the chest pain associated with heart disease.

Factory workers exposed to the explosive began to experience headaches and flushing in the face. This was because nitroglycerin is a vasodilator – it dilates (opens) the blood vessels.

Tweet about Dr Murrell's experimentation with nitroglycerin London physician William Murrell experimented with nitroglycerin on himself and tried it on his angina patients. Twitter

London physician William Murrell experimented with nitroglycerin on himself and tried it on his angina patients. They got almost immediate relief.

Nitroglycerin made it possible for millions of people with angina to live relatively normal lives. It also paved the way for medications such as blood pressure-lowering drugs, beta-blockers and statins. These medicines have extended lives and increased the average lifespan in Western countries.

But because people’s lives are now extended, there are now higher rates of deaths from cancer and other non-communicable diseases. So nitroglycerin turned out to be a world-changing drug in unexpected ways.

Read more: How Australians Die: cause #2 – cancers

4. The pill

In 1951, US birth control advocate Margaret Sanger asked researcher Gregory Pincus to develop an effective hormonal contraceptive, funded by heiress Katharine McCormick.

Pincus found that progesterone helped to stop ovulation, and used this to develop a trial pill. Clinical trials were conducted on vulnerable women, notably in Puerto Rico, where there were concerns about informed consent and side effects.

The new drug was released by GD Searle & Co as Enovid in 1960, with US Food and Drug Administration approval. This was granted because the risk of pregnancy was seen as greater than the risk of side effects, such as blood clots and strokes.

It took ten years to prove a link between oral contraceptive use and serious side effects. After a 1970 US government inquiry, the pill’s hormone levels were lowered dramatically. Another outcome was the patient information sheet you will now find inside all prescription drug packets.

The pill caused major global demographic changes with smaller families and increased incomes as women re-entered the workforce. However, it’s still raising questions about how the medical profession has experimented on women’s bodies.

Read more: What to expect when coming off the pill, and 5 things to do before you do

5. Diazepam

The first benzodiazepine, a type of nervous system depressant, was created in 1955 and marketed by drug company Hoffmann-La Roche as Librium.

Valium bottles and dropper Valium was onced used to help people engage with psychotherapy. Roche/Science Museum/flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

This and related drugs were not sold as “cures” for anxiety. Instead, they were supposed to help people engage in psychotherapy, which was seen as the real solution.

Polish-American chemist Leo Sternbach and his research group chemically altered Librium in 1959, producing a much more powerful drug. This was diazepam, marketed from 1963 as Valium.

Cheap, easily available drugs like these had a huge impact. From 1969 until 1982, Valium was the top-selling pharmaceutical in the United States. These drugs created a culture of managing stress and anxiety with medication.

Valium paved the way for modern antidepressants. It was more difficult (but not impossible) to overdose on these newer drugs, and they had fewer side effects. The first SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, was fluoxetine, marketed from 1987 as Prozac.

Read more: The chemical imbalance theory of depression is dead, but that doesn't mean antidepressants don't work

Authors: Philippa Martyr, Lecturer, Pharmacology, Women's Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia

Read more https://theconversation.com/5-drugs-that-changed-the-world-and-what-went-wrong-186042

Private Booze Cruisers – The New Must-Have Toy for Cashed Up Millennials

Did you hear that your 30s are the new 20s? We’ve finally rocked up that adult money and now it’s time to play with it. I was going for a walk ...

Grinding & Jaw Soreness: Signs You Might Need Night Guards and How We Protect Enamel

Waking with a tight jaw, tender muscles, or a dull temple headache is more than a bad night’s sleep. Many Australians grind or clench their teeth ...

Circular Interior Design: Furnishing with Salvaged & Reclaimed Materials

Circular interior design is gradually making its way from niche circles into mainstream Australian homes. At its core, this approach revolves around...

Invisible Braces vs Traditional Braces: Which Is Best for Adults?

Straightening teeth as an adult is common in Australia, and the options are better than ever. The two main choices are clear aligners, also called i...

Smoking, Vaping, and Healing: How Nicotine Affects Sockets and What you can do About it

Nicotine and oral surgery are a poor mix. After an wisdom teeth removal in Sydney, your body needs a stable blood clot and steady blood flow to rebu...

Titanium and Bone: How Dental Implants Become Part of the Jaw

Dental implants replace missing teeth by anchoring a metal fixture in the jaw and fitting a crown on top. Their success rests on a biological event ...

Do Wisdom Teeth Really Make You Wiser? Debunking Old Beliefs

Wisdom teeth are among the most discussed teeth in dentistry, not because of their function but because of the myths that surround them. The name it...

How Long Do Dental Implants Really Last? The Facts Dentists Won’t Skip

Australians often ask one simple question before green-lighting treatment: how long will a dental implant actually last? The short answer is that th...

The Confidence Curve: Why Implants Change the Way You Carry Yourself

Losing a tooth is not just a physical change; it alters the way people see themselves and how they believe others perceive them. While dentistry has...

Why Reliable Air Conditioning Services Are Essential for Year-Round Comfort

Melbourne’s climate is known for its unpredictable swings—from scorching summers to chilly winters. This variability makes it crucial for homes ...

Expert Plumbing Solutions in Perth: From Hot Water Systems to Leak Detection

Plumbing is one of those things we often take for granted—until something goes wrong. From stepping into an unexpectedly cold shower to discovering ...

Eco-smart Car Removal in Sydney: Practical Steps That Cut Waste and Return Value

Sydney’s ageing cars add up to a serious waste stream, and choosing the right removal service makes a measurable difference. Your decision sends m...

Measuring the Success of Your Bus Advertising Campaign

Bus ads turn everyday travel into high-reach media. They move through busy corridors, sit in traffic where people can read them, and keep working af...

Partner Visa Pathways: Onshore vs Offshore Applications Explained

Choosing between Australia’s onshore and offshore partner visa routes affects timing, travel, work rights and budget. This guide explains the stru...

Serving Styles Compared: Buffet, Grazing, or Plated for the Office

Choosing how to serve food at a work function shapes the pace of the event, how people mingle and how smoothly the agenda runs. The right format dep...

5 Essential Tips for Hiring Gold Coast Plumbers

Finding the best plumber on the Gold Coast can be as complex as navigating a network of pipes, requiring an expert who is capable, reliable, and s...

Hidden Costs of Moving You Need to Budget For (And How to Avoid Them)

Moving house ranks among life's most busy experiences, and discovering unexpected expenses along the way certainly doesn't help with stress levels. Wh...

Understanding Australian Building Regulations: What Every Mornington Builder Wants You to Know

If you live on the Mornington Peninsula, you likely already feel the risk of bushfires,hot, dry summers, nearby bushland, and epic wind events. That...