like the thing is that
there's a difference between drugs that are invented and discovered
when a drug is invented, this means its structure has been designed to specifically operate on a specific mechanism to do something
like, a lot of chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, or antivirals
on the other hand, often, drugs are discovered - that is, some random thing is tested, seems somehow effective, and then goes through more testing and it turns out it actually works and that becomes a drug
nobody knows why it does but it does
there's a difference between drugs that are invented and discovered
when a drug is invented, this means its structure has been designed to specifically operate on a specific mechanism to do something
like, a lot of chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, or antivirals
on the other hand, often, drugs are discovered - that is, some random thing is tested, seems somehow effective, and then goes through more testing and it turns out it actually works and that becomes a drug
nobody knows why it does but it does
@chjara Chemotherapy is a bad example, it was actually initially discovered as a result of war crimes.
@timorl
>The first use of small-molecule drugs to treat cancer was in the early 20th century, although the specific chemicals first used were not originally intended for that purpose. Mustard gas was used as a chemical warfare agent during World War I and was discovered to be a potent suppressor of hematopoiesis (blood production).
oof
>The first use of small-molecule drugs to treat cancer was in the early 20th century, although the specific chemicals first used were not originally intended for that purpose. Mustard gas was used as a chemical warfare agent during World War I and was discovered to be a potent suppressor of hematopoiesis (blood production).
oof
@chjara Iirc the exact story is that some towns were accidentally gassed and much later someone noticed they had suspiciously low cancer rates.
>A year into the start of their research, a German air raid in Bari, Italy led to the exposure of more than 1000 people to the SS John Harvey's secret cargo composed of mustard gas bombs. Dr. Stewart Francis Alexander, a lieutenant colonel who was an expert in chemical warfare, was subsequently deployed to investigate the aftermath. Autopsies of the victims suggested that profound lymphoid and myeloid suppression had occurred after exposure.
cursed