Ryan's Genie in The Bottle

The Genie in the Bottle by Joe Schwarcz is a well thought out and educational book that uses real stories of scientific breakthroughs to teach the interesting subject of chemistry. This book discusses in detail over twenty scientific experiments and discoveries ranging from the saving of millions from deadly diseases to the development of common household objects and even children’s toys. It is a fascinating collection of chemistry mysteries analyzed and explained so anyone could understand these concepts.

One topic covered in this book is the deadly secret behind the drug, thalidomide that was meant to help millions. During the time it was given to pregnant women to ease morning sickness, many children were born with disfigurements. The American chemist, Dr. Frances Kelsey, believed that thalidomide was the culprit. At first, she was refuted because in test subjects pregnant women didn’t have deformed children since none of these women were given the drug during the first trimester when the drug adversely affected the fetuses. Kelsey made this connection saving millions. Another interesting passage talked about the mysteries of mercury. The Chinese thought it could give immortality. The Romans were the first to realize that those who mined mercury had a shorter life expectancy. We now know the dangers of mercury. It is still, however used in electrical switches, dental amalgams, batteries, and thermometers. Professor Wetterhahn spilled mercury on herself during an experiment to discover the causes of mercury’s terrible effects. She died months later. One commentary that I found amusing was the one on silly putty. I found the history of one of my favorite childhood toys interesting since it demonstrated how things don’t turn out exactly how you planned. Silly putty was invented by General Electric during World War II as a synthetic rubber to be used for troops overseas. It was thought useless at first until James Wright used it to entertain people at a party. Ruth Fallgatter and Paul Hodgson, who owned a popular toy store, were in the crowd and bought the substance and marketed it as silly putty. A fourth passage that I enjoyed talked of the history of the bunsen burner discovered by Robert Bunsen. Bunsen saw a need for a non sooty and easily controllable fire. His first prototype consisted of a metal tube with strategically drilled holes through which air could enter and mix with the combustible gas flowing through a tube. The burner also led to the discovery of the spectroscope. Bunsen realized that different elements burn different colors when introduced to the flame. He developed the spectroscope to help find out what elements were in what compounds. These are two of the most important pieces of lab equipment used today. Lastly, a commentary that I found interesting was the one on Dr. Snow, a man who associated contaminated drinking water with cholera disease. Cholera can cause a person to lose ten liters of water a day. At the time, no one believed that cholera had anything to do with water as they thought it was air born. Snow was able to prove his theory when more then 500 people died of cholera in the Soho region of London. He discovered that the local water pump was the source since workers down the street at a brewery didn’t get sick because they only drank beer.

In conclusion, The Genie in the Bottle is great book for anyone who is fascinated by chemistry or wishes to learn more about the significant role that chemistry has played throughout the course of history.