From insulin comas and lobotomy to incarceration; those who suffered bipolar disorder endured dangerous, ineffective treatments for centuries until a breakthrough in the 1950s offered salvation. Lithium's efficacy at both ending and preventing manic depressive episodes was discovered by John Cade, whose years running a psychiatric ward as a prisoner of war sparked a hunch that put him on the path to revelation. The miraculous metal has since salvaged an untold number of lives but even after its healing power was discovered, it was decades before the medical community could be convinced that lithium was not only safe but life-saving. Walter A. Brown reveals how close we came to missing out on this extraordinary drug and showcasing the possibilities of scientific curiosity.

About the Author
Walter A. Brown has been a practicing psychiatrist and professor at Brown University for more than forty years. He has contributed to publications such as Scientific American, Scientific American Mind, and Psychology Today. He lives in Tiverton, Rhode Island.

Reviews
"The intertwined story of Cade and his momentous finding is told in Lithium, a compelling book by US psychiatrist Walter Brown... What Brown does superbly well is to show that Cade made his discovery without access to advances in technology or to modern facilities - and almost despite them." -- Nature
"His [Walter Brown's] beautifully written and insightful book deserves to be widely read by poets and novelists, among whom instances of bipolar disorder are above average, and, more importantly, by all those involved in the regulation and provision of medicines." -- Literary Review



Book Information
ISBN 9781631497902
Author Walter A. Brown
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Liveright Publishing Corporation
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 189g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 15mm