The 300 page book includes over twenty papers with related illustrations and is available in both paperback and hardcover editions. The book and symposium were developed under the auspices of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. The first day of the symposium looks at drug discovery from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Following the introductory remarks by Glaxo Wellcome President Robert A. Ingram , former United States Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop will deliver the keynote address. The remainder of the morning session lays out a historical framework, providing an overview of medical discoveries up until the early modern era.
Papers address such issues as how the ancients chose and used medicines like opium and mandrake.
The afternoon session is devoted to case studies of individual drug discovery, with an emphasis on modern breakthroughs. Topics include how Salvarsan was developed as a remedy for syphilis, the isolation of insulin, and the invention of synthetic narcotics. The symposium's second day is geared towards the practical and policy issues related to medicine making. In the morning session, experts in the fields of medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutics, and clinical testing will review current trends and concerns within each of their disciplines. The concluding session examines the process of getting medicines out of the laboratory and into the hands of health-care professionals and patients.