The remarkable untold story of a miracle drug, the forgotten pioneer who discovered it, and the fight to bring lithium to the masses. The DNA double helix, penicillin, the X-ray, insulin—these are routinely cited as some of the most important medical discoveries of the twentieth century. And yet, the 1949 discovery of lithium as a cure for bipolar disorder is perhaps one of the most important—yet largely unsung—breakthroughs of the modern era. In Lithium, Walter Brown, a practicing psychiatrist and professor at Brown, reveals two unlikely success stories: that of John Cade, the physician whose discovery would come to save an untold number of lives and launch a pharmacological revolution, and that of a miraculous metal rescued from decades of stigmatization. From insulin comas and lobotomy to incarceration to exile, Brown chronicles the troubling history of the diagnosis and (often ineffective) treatment of bipolar disorder through the centuries, before the publication of a groundbreaking research paper in 1949. Cade’s “Lithium Salts in the Treatment of Psychotic Excitement” described, for the first time, lithium’s astonishing efficacy at both treating and preventing the recurrence of manic-depressive episodes, and would eventually transform the lives of patients, pharmaceutical researchers, and practicing physicians worldwide. And yet, as Brown shows, it would be decades before lithium would overcome widespread stigmatization as a dangerous substance, and the resistance from the pharmaceutical industry, which had little incentive to promote a naturally occurring drug that could not be patented. With a vivid portrait of the story’s unlikely hero, John Cade, Brown also describes a devoted naturalist who, unlike many modern medical researchers, did not benefit from prestigious research training or big funding sources (Cade’s “laboratory” was the unused pantry of an isolated mental hospital). As Brown shows, however, these humble conditions were the secret to his historic success: Cade was free to follow his own restless curiosity, rather than answer to an external funding source. As Lithium makes tragically clear, medical research—at least in America—has transformed in such a way that serendipitous discoveries like Cade’s are unlikely to occur ever again. Recently described by the New York Times as the “Cinderella” of psychiatric drugs, lithium has saved countless of lives and billions of dollars in healthcare costs. In this revelatory biography of a drug and the man who fought for its discovery, Brown crafts a captivating picture of modern medical history—revealing just how close we came to passing over this extraordinary cure.

Using the most well-studied behavioral analyses of animal subjects to promote a better understanding of the effects of disease and the effects of new therapeutic treatments on human cognition, Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience provides a reference manual for molecular and cellular research scientists in both academia and the pharmaceutic

Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are common, highly disabling, and associated with significant premature mortality. The impact of these disorders on the social and economic well-being of individuals, families, and societies is large, growing, and underestimated. Despite this burden, these disorders have been systematically neglected, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, with pitifully small contributions to scaling up cost-effective prevention and treatment strategies. Systematically compiling the substantial existing knowledge to address this inequity is the central goal of this volume. This evidence-base can help policy makers in resource-constrained settings as they prioritize programs and interventions to address these disorders.

The 1978 National Drug Abuse Conference held in Seattle marked the beginning of the second decade of these conferences and their predecessor National Methadone Conferences. They began as small conferences devoted to understanding the problems and promises in herent in methadone maintenance treatment of opiate-dependent pa tients. The first conference was held about a decade ago in New York City at the Rockefeller University. The attendees consisted of a small group of invited clinicians, administrators, and research workers. Over the years the conferences have increased in both breadth and depth of their coverage. On a national scale this conference alone considered the issues of alcoholism, opiate dependence, polydrug abuse, and all other forms of substance abuse. The thousands attending each of the conferences came from all walks of life within our field. Lawyers, physicians, and basic and applied research scientists met and interacted with counselors, administrators, government officials, ex-addicts, con trolled alcoholics, and others with serious interest in this field. Only at this conference was it possible to attend presentations con cerning the newest findings of a cellular, molecular, and chemical basis on one day and participate in discussions of problems of dis advantaged minorities, women, and clinicians on the next day. It was uniquely possible to meet with government officials and question them publicly, as well as in individual private conversations at this conference.

First published in 1986, Controversies in Alcoholism and Substance Abuse presents a collection of papers dealing with various aspects of alcohol and substance abuse. It covers crucial themes like -1) the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and heroin addiction; 2) the effects of widespread cocaine use; 3) social use of marijuana; 4) early identification of and efficacy of treatment for alcoholism; and 5) the effects of social drinking during pregnancy on the fetus. This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of addiction studies, psychology, sociology of addiction and specially those who wants to know about the advances made in the 1980s in the study of alcohol and substance abuse.

Miller takes readers on an eye-opening tour of psychotropic drugs, describing the various kinds, how they were discovered and developed, and how they have played multiple roles in virtually every culture.

Comprehensive Toxicology, Third Edition, Fifteen Volume Set discusses chemical effects on biological systems, with a focus on understanding the mechanisms by which chemicals induce adverse health effects. Organized by organ system, this comprehensive reference work addresses the toxicological effects of chemicals on the immune system, the hematopoietic system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, hepatic toxicology, renal toxicology, gastrointestinal toxicology, reproductive and endocrine toxicology, neuro and behavioral toxicology, developmental toxicology and carcinogenesis, also including critical sections that cover the general principles of toxicology, cellular and molecular toxicology, biotransformation and toxicology testing and evaluation. Each section is examined in state-of-the-art chapters written by domain experts, providing key information to support the investigations of researchers across the medical, veterinary, food, environment and chemical research industries, and national and international regulatory agencies. Thoroughly revised and expanded to 15 volumes that include the latest advances in research, and uniquely organized by organ system for ease of reference and diagnosis, this new edition is an essential reference for researchers of toxicology. Organized to cover both the fundamental principles of toxicology and unique aspects of major organ systems Thoroughly revised to include the latest advances in the toxicological effects of chemicals on the immune system Features additional coverage throughout and a new volume on toxicology of the hematopoietic system Presents in-depth, comprehensive coverage from an international author base of domain experts