Dangerous Miracle - by Liam Shaw (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The discovery of antibiotics was one of humanity's greatest achievements. Since their advent less than a century ago, antibiotics have saved millions of lives, marking one of the greatest medical advances in our history. But much like oil in the previous century, they were not invented but discovered--the most effective antibiotics were found in nature, made by microbes. Antibiotics have been a cheap everlasting fuel that has powered modern medicine, but at a cost. For antibiotics aren't like other drugs. Every time we used them, we increased the possibility of antibiotic resistance emerging time we used them, we were risking their future effectiveness. Even if it didn't seem like it, there was only ever a finite supply. Antibiotics are the fossil fuels of medicine: they are 'fossil drugs.' How did we get here? In order to understand the future of antibiotics, we need to understand their past. Dangerous Miracle tells the story of antibiotics: weaving the grand arc of their evolution over millions of years with a history of the past century. Antibiotic resistance shows how easily bacteria have been able to undo human progress. If we want antibiotics to have a future, we need to prepare to adapt accordingly. And fast. Dangerous Miracle is a revelatory account of the miraculous history and uncertain future of antibiotics from a young and gifted Oxford biologist"--

Book Synopsis

Oxford University biologist Liam Shaw tells the fascinating history of antibiotics--and how we burned through them.

The discovery of antibiotics was one of humanity's greatest achievements. Since their advent less than a century ago, antibiotics have saved millions of lives, marking one of the greatest medical advances in our history. But much like oil in the previous century, they were not invented but discovered--the most effective antibiotics were found in nature, made by microbes. Antibiotics have been a cheap everlasting fuel that has powered modern medicine, but at a cost. For antibiotics aren't like other drugs. Every time we used them, we increased the possibility of antibiotic resistance emerging. Every time we used them, we were risking their future effectiveness. Even if it didn't seem like it, there was only ever a finite supply. Antibiotics are the fossil fuels of medicine: they are "fossil drugs."

How did we get here? In order to understand the future of antibiotics, we need to understand their past. Dangerous Miracle tells the story of antibiotics: weaving the grand arc of their evolution over millions of years with a history of the past century. Antibiotic resistance shows how easily bacteria have been able to undo human progress. If we want antibiotics to have a future, we need to prepare to adapt accordingly. And fast.

Dangerous Miracle is a revelatory account of the miraculous history and uncertain future of antibiotics from a young and gifted Oxford biologist.

Review Quotes

"Riveting...has the essential hallmarks of all good science writing: boundless enthusiasm, ingenious metaphors and the effortless distillation of complex ideas into crisp, clean prose...In combining the passion of Robert MacFarlane with the incisiveness of Patrick Radden Keefe, Shaw has announced himself as a brilliant new voice in science writing." --The Spectator

"This history of scientific discovery and corporate greed...chronicles arguably the most significant technological advance of the 20th century...Shaw's lively history is a valiant attempt to shine a spotlight on the crisis of antibiotic resistance" --Sunday Times

"Excellent - a highly readable account of scientific success in the past and Big Pharma's egregious inability to deal the growing problem of antibiotic resistance." --Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm

"Liam Shaw traces the rise of modern antibiotics and foresees their decline amidst the ongoing war between bacteria and antibiotic drugs. The central theme is critically important, but Shaw's book is also tremendously entertaining as he describes the origins and development of many of the 'greatest hit' antibiotics that together have saved millions of lives. Well worth reading" --Adam Alter, author of Anatomy of a Breakthrough

"This enthralling and wonderfully accessibly debut charts the human history of a drug we all rely on but that we are rapidly burning through like a fossil fuel of medicine."?The Bookseller

"Everyone needs to know about antibiotics - the good, the bad and the ugly! This is a brilliant history lesson ." ?Tim Spector, author of Food for Life

"A fascinating deep-dive into a medical success story that we take for granted at our peril." ?Sarah Gilbert, author of Vaxxers

"An enjoyable and absolutely essential read. The next global pandemic might not be a virus at all - it could be a drug-resistant bacterium, as antibiotics stop working and common infections turn deadly. As Shaw passionately argues in this compelling history, we urgently need a new approach." ? Kate Bingham, author of The Long Shot

About the Author

Liam Shaw is a biologist researching the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance. After completing his PhD at University College London, for the past four years he has worked as a Wellcome-funded research fellow at the University of Oxford. His essays and journalism have appeared in the London Review of Books, Morning Star, and Private Eye.