The Greatest Good to the Greatest Number: Penicillin Rationing on the American Home Front, 1940-1945

In this work, the author examines the interaction of wartime bureaucracy, the academic medical establishment, and home front civilians. Drawing on a wide range of archival and oral sources, Adams presents a fascinating - and often poignant - account of the difficult biomedical decisions which accompanied the introduction of penicillin during the Second World War. The author traces the effect of the wonder drug of 1943 on postwar American society. This work represents a useful volume for scholars in the areas of twentieth century history of medicine, social history, and history of public policy.