We live in the golden age of medicine and patients benefit from a variety of valuable drugs that are successfully used as therapeutics for various diseases. They increase both life expectancy and quality of life and enable painless surgical interventions. Most of these drugs come directly or indirectly from nature and the narrative of their development and success are presented in this book. After a long scientific adventure, Streptomycin, a metabolite from the bacterium Streptomyces griseus turned out to be effective against tuberculosis, the scourge of mankind. At the same time, the famous PAS (a derivative of the naturally occurring salicylic acid) was developed as an equally effective agent against TB. The complex history and the many biological effects of aspirin are discussed in the light of new findings. Another chapter shows how the great German poet Wolfgang Goethe encountered atropine, an ancient poison. Also discussed is how nitric oxide and nitroglycerin (an explosive material) provide relief from angina pectoris and other heart diseases and how a deadly poison from spoiled sausages enabled not only a treatment of several previously untreatable diseases but also the opened the way for foundation of a billion-dollar health industry. Further chapters describe - discovery and mechanism of action of colchicine, an alkaloid from the plant Colchicum introduced in the therapy of gout. - the complex story behind the groundbreaking discovery of penicillin. - the development of L-DOPA for the treatment of Parkinson disease, and finally the history of discovery and use of digitalis in the therapy of heart failure. In total, there are 10 chapters, each with a disease, which is briefly described with a story. Historical backgrounds are discussed, and the people and character traits are briefly illuminated. The book also contains photos of people, plants, documents. It is an odyssey with stations in medicine, biology, chemistry, pharmacology, botany, mythology and archaeology. The book is written in a generally understandable way, and no prior knowledge is required. It is of interest to physicians and students of Medicine and Chemical Biology, researchers in the field of Life Sciences, and for people interested in the history of Science.
我們生活在醫學的黃金時代，患者受益於各種成功用作各種疾病治療的珍貴藥物。這些藥物不僅提高了壽命和生活品質，還使無痛的外科手術成為可能。大多數這些藥物直接或間接來自自然，其發展和成功的故事在本書中呈現。
經過漫長的科學冒險，來自放線菌（Streptomyces griseus）的代謝物鏈霉素（Streptomycin）被證明對抗結核病，這是人類的災難。同時，著名的PAS（天然存在的水楊酸的衍生物）也被開發為對抗結核病的同樣有效的藥物。本書還討論了阿斯匹林（aspirin）的複雜歷史及其多種生物效應，並根據新發現進行分析。另一章節展示了偉大的德國詩人歌德（Wolfgang Goethe）如何接觸到古老的毒藥阿托品（atropine）。
本書還討論了如何利用一氧化氮（nitric oxide）和硝酸甘油（nitroglycerin，一種爆炸性物質）緩解心絞痛和其他心臟疾病，以及來自變質香腸的致命毒藥如何不僅使幾種以前無法治療的疾病得以治療，還為建立一個價值十億美元的健康產業鋪平了道路。
後續章節描述了：
- 秋水仙鹼（colchicine）的發現及其作用機制，這是一種來自秋水仙（Colchicum）的生物鹼，已被引入治療痛風。
- 青黴素（penicillin）突破性發現背後的複雜故事。
- L-DOPA的開發，用於治療帕金森病，最後是數位苷（digitalis）在心力衰竭治療中的發現和使用歷史。
總共有10個章節，每個章節都簡要描述了一種疾病及其故事。書中討論了歷史背景，並簡要介紹了相關人物及其性格特徵。書中還包含人物、植物和文件的照片。這是一場涵蓋醫學、生物學、化學、藥理學、植物學、神話學和考古學的奧德賽。該書以一般可理解的方式撰寫，無需先前的知識。對於醫生、醫學和化學生物學的學生、生命科學領域的研究人員以及對科學歷史感興趣的人士都具有吸引力。
Professor Athanassios Giannis is a distinguished chemist and physician known for his significant contributions to the fields of organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and medicine. He has held various academic and research positions, contributing to the development of new chemical entities and therapeutic agents. His work often involves the synthesis of complex molecules and the exploration of their biological activities, which has implications for drug discovery and development. In addition to his chemistry expertise, Professor Giannis is also a trained physician, which provides him with a unique perspective in bridging the gap between chemical synthesis and medical application. This dual expertise allows him to approach drug discovery and development with a comprehensive understanding of both the molecular mechanisms and the clinical implications. His work appeared in more than 160 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He, recently authored a Springer book entitled "Naturstoffe im Dienst der Medizin - Von der Tragödie zur Therapie".
