Thom Rooke
Thom Rooke is the Krehbiel Professor of Vascular Medicine at the
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
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Quest for Cortisone, The
Thom Rooke
In 1948, when “Mrs. G.,” hospitalized with debilitating rheumatoid
arthritis, became the first person to receive a mysterious new
compound — cortisone — her physicians were awestruck by her
transformation from enervated to energized. After eighteen years of
biochemical research, the most intensively hunted biological agent
of all time had finally been isolated, identified, synthesized, and
put to the test. And it worked. But the discovery of a long-
sought “magic bullet” came at an unanticipated cost in the form of
strange side effects. This fascinating history recounts the
discovery of cortisone and pulls the curtain back on the peculiar
cast of characters responsible for its advent, including two
enigmatic scientists, Edward Kendall and Philip Hench, who went on
to receive the Nobel Prize. The book also explores the key role the
Mayo Clinic played in fostering cortisone’s development, and looks
at drugs that owe their heritage to the so-called “King of Steroids.”
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