158. The Story of Pharmacology with Prof Rod Flower

Join Prof David Nutt and Prof Rod Flower for a captivating journey into the history of pharmacology. Rod is emeritus professor of biochemical pharmacology at Queen Mary University of London and co-author of Rang and Dale's Pharmacology, the textbook that has shaped the understanding of generations of medical and science students. His work was pivotal in advancing the knowledge of anti-inflammatory treatments, and his new book, Drugs: The Story of Pharmacology, looks back at the discoveries that built the foundations of modern medicine. He recounts how a misread job advert landed him in Sir John Vane's lab, and traces his path from smoking chymograph traces to co-founding the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary. The conversation covers the ethics of self-experimentation in the early days of drug development, the lineage of plant medicines from ancient civilisations to the everyday drugs in your medicine cabinet, the separate mechanisms behind aspirin and salicylic acid, and the discovery of curare and how it shaped our understanding of receptors. Rod also shares his views on the value of genetic understanding to the development of treatments, and why the Human Genome Project's early promises to pharmacology fell short. - Professor Roderick Flower - Drugs: The Story of Pharmacology - Become a Drug Science community member - William Harvey Research Institute - John Vane - Felix Hoffmann - Curare - Human Genome Project - Aspirin mechanism of action - Heroin - LSD - Ketamine - Alcohol [**★ Support this podcast ★**](https://www.drugscience.org.uk/support-drug-science/ "★ Support this podcast ★")