Distillations magazine

The controversy around animal magnetism.

The impact of the Civil War can still be seen politically, socially, and economically, but its influence on medicine is often obscured.

A 19th-century chemist was the first to raise the alarm about adulterated food.

Thin became “in” during the 1920s, and the calorie became a vital tool in the battle to lose weight. Yet before becoming a fashion necessity, the calorie had a decidedly less glamorous role.

In the 19th century, chemical oblivion replaced liquor, opiates, and bleeding as the numbing agent of choice for surgeons.

Insulin was first used to treat diabetes in the 1920s. Since then doctors have used a multitude of tests to screen for the disease.

Absinthe, an alcoholic drink introduced to France in the 1840s, developed a decadent though violent reputation.

Prontosil Rubrum was the first drug to cure bacterial infections and the first of many sulfa drugs.

In the late 19th century cod-liver oil was proclaimed the cure for many ailments. One problem: the oil’s foul taste.

Malaria and the benefits and pitfalls of government-funded biomedical research.

Are salt alternatives scarier than the substance they are replacing? A brief history of a “terrifying” food.

An 1828 murder trial provides insight into the moral ambiguity of forensic science and scientific testimony.

David Healy reviews Nicholas Rasmussen’s On Speed: The Many Lives of Amphetamine.

Aspirin has had a long history as a pain reliever—2,000 years of history. But only in the 1970s did scientists begin to uncover its chemical secrets.

Interactions between the pharmaceutical industry, the biomedical sciences, and legislators is a longstanding hot topic in Washington.

The history of pasteurization and the controversy surrounding it demonstrate the complexity of milk as a chemical substance.

Fatal results of the lax safety standards of yesterday provide powerful lessons in the importance of safety in today’s labs.

The rise and fall of hormone replacement therapy.