Entering 004

1.
21st century elixir of life

A Performance of Obsession 020ㆍThe 19th Century Elixir of Life 026ㆍYouth, That Ancient Temptation 028ㆍMiracles and Fraud, A Precarious Line 032ㆍThe Man Who Performed 1,000 Testicle Transplants 036ㆍTestosterone, Revealed 041ㆍPiece in the Sky 047ㆍAdding Oil to the Fire 052ㆍNow It's Muscle 058ㆍThe End of Terminator Kid 062ㆍThe Bill for Weak Hair 066ㆍThe Goddess of Athletics and the God of Baseball 073ㆍThe Culprit Is Within 078ㆍDesigner Steroids 083ㆍWhat Happened After That 087
Go further: The Girl Who Turned Into a Man 092

2.
A substance that challenges God

The Difficulties of a Career Employee 102ㆍThe Atrocities of a Predecessor 105ㆍProgesterone 109ㆍThe End of Innovation 112ㆍThe Passionate New Employee 116ㆍThe Realm of God 119ㆍThe Realm Beyond God 121ㆍThe Right Not to Become a Mother 126ㆍA Bad Law Is Just a Bad Law 130ㆍThe Twists and Turns of a Rich Daughter-in-Law 134ㆍTwo People, Three Angles 138ㆍThree People, Four Angles 141ㆍThose Who Set Foot in the Realm of God 146ㆍWhat Happened After That 154
Go further: The Old Scholar's Last Paper 161

3.
chemical castration

Scorched Earth Strategy 172ㆍNew Strategy 175ㆍAn Answer Found in Carpooling 178ㆍSynthetic Estrogen 182ㆍThe Evolution of Synthetic Estrogen 188ㆍOpening the Door to Chemical Castration 193ㆍExpanding Options 199ㆍPharmaceutical Treatment for Sex Drive 205ㆍThe Loopholes of Chemical Castration 208ㆍChemical Castration and Prostate Cancer 212ㆍA World-Class New Drug Created by a Korean 216ㆍWhat Happened After That 224
The more you go in, the better it is 229

4.
The Gift of Evolution, Curing All Diseases

Precious Organs, Sensitive Organs 240ㆍMysterious Substances 244ㆍStop the Superpilot 249ㆍCoworkers, When You Know Them 254ㆍMiracle Arthritis Treatment 257ㆍMirage 261ㆍThe Challenges of Mass Production 265ㆍThe Cortisone War 268ㆍThe Power of Nature 272ㆍThe Anti-inflammatory Drug That Cured the U.S. President 276ㆍCures for Rare Diseases 281ㆍUnknown Events 286
Go further and look at the steroids that regulate minerals 289

Going out 296
Image source 302
Reference 306

Listen with unparalleled storytelling
History of the discovery of steroids

There is a recurring issue surrounding top athletes and bodybuilders.
It's taking steroids.
It's not just the players' job.
Even those who work out as a hobby often secretly take steroids to help build muscle.
But the ending is no different for athletes or ordinary people.
They experience side effects big and small, pay a high price, and in severe cases, even die from organ damage.
Scholars who studied this substance in the past discovered its excellent anti-inflammatory effects and called it a 'miracle cure'.
In fact, it is still used as an anti-inflammatory drug today.
What exactly are steroids? And how did this supposed miracle cure end up killing people?

『Steroid Humanity: A Chronicle of Miracles and Deaths』 is a book that delves into the history and various aspects of steroids based on the extensive knowledge of Professor Seungman Baek of Gyeongsang National University College of Pharmacy, a pharmacologist who is still developing pharmaceuticals in the field.
The author, who has been telling stories about medicine to the public since "War and Medicine: A Long History of Evil," is famous for his excellent storytelling that makes the history of pharmaceutical development easy and fun to understand.
Videos featuring the author over the past few years on tvN STORY's "Somehow Adult," Yonhap News Economic TV, and Sebasi Lectures have garnered over 1 million views, proving the public's interest in the fascinating stories he tells.


In his fourth book, "Steroid Humanity," the author once again takes us on a journey through the history of pharmaceutical development, featuring a diverse cast of characters.
By going through the various historical events surrounding steroid research, readers can immediately understand what steroids are and what risks they pose.
The book also provides an opportunity to reflect on our own lives by vividly depicting the triumphs and frustrations of historical figures filled with a yearning for new scientific discoveries.

The history of doping, from the discovery of testosterone to chemical castration
And even the development of contraceptives and cancer treatments.

『Steroid Humanity』 is composed of four chapters.
Chapter 1, "The 21st Century Elixir of Life," covers the research of scholar Brown-Séquard, who extracted dog testicles and injected them into his own body in hopes of regaining youth, the discovery of the male hormone testosterone, and the history and scandals of doping in sports, including the use of steroids to enhance athletic performance.
Chapter 2, “The Substance That Challenged God,” covers the process of developing a contraceptive using the female hormone progesterone.
It depicts the story of Margaret Sanger, a well-known birth control activist, Catherine McCormick, a women's suffrage activist, and a chemist and doctor with unique backgrounds who first challenged the divine realm of contraception.
In addition, the story of Russell Marker, Rosenkranz, and Carl Djerassi, outstanding chemists who focused on progesterone and developed active substances with medicinal properties, shows the specific process and essence of drug development.

Chapter 3, “Chemical Castration,” explores the discovery of another female hormone, estrogen, and the history of its use in chemical castration.
It also explains how the medical method of chemical castration is currently used to treat prostate cancer under the name 'androgen deprivation therapy'.
The author also presents real-life examples and points out the limitations of chemical castration in preventing and preventing sexual crimes.
Chapter 4, “The Gift of Evolution, Curing All Diseases,” is about the adrenal cortex hormone cortisone, a steroid that treats inflammation.
From the anecdote of the U.S. government, which believed the false rumor that Germany was trying to create super pilots by injecting its soldiers with cortisone during World War II and began developing the drug, to the twists and turns of researchers who discovered serious side effects from using cortisone for arthritis, the story of cortisone, now used as an effective anti-inflammatory agent, is introduced.


Trying to dominate steroids
Tracing the history of mankind

Steroids is not a term that refers to a single substance.
It is a general term for “compounds with a structure similar to sterol,” including female hormones, which are broadly divided into progesterone and estrogen, male hormones including testosterone, and adrenal cortex hormones.
Not only are there many different types, but their effects are also diverse.
For example, estrogen helps with pregnancy and makes breasts swell.
During menopause, when female hormones decrease, women often use estrogen medication to address problems such as osteoporosis.
However, if used incorrectly, it can promote breast cell division and cause breast cancer.
The same goes for male hormones.
Incorrect use of male hormones to increase muscle mass and sexual function can worsen benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer.
In extreme cases, testosterone may dry up completely.
Our body's system is working to maintain balance.
These side effects are especially common in those who use anabolic steroids to build muscle.
The testicles may shrink, female breasts may develop, and eventually the heart muscle may thicken, leading to death.
The duality of steroids, often called a 'double-edged sword,' is also what makes research on related drugs difficult.


The author, who currently studies steroids as a medicinal chemist, is concerned that many people still use steroid drugs illegally, despite the fact that they are “substances that even researchers find difficult to predict” due to their difficult to predict effects.
And the book details the side effects of illegal drugs, from anabolic steroids to nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulators, or SAMs.
In addition, it traces the history of mankind's use and domination of steroids, including the discovery and development of each representative steroid and the twists and turns of the process.
The author says, “The flaw lies in the fact that steroids did not come into our hands after as much thorough research as we thought,” and that he hopes that by examining the process, “the blind faith and illusions about steroids will be reduced a little.”


A Chronicle of Scientific Aspirations

Following the tightly woven chronology of 『Steroid Humans』 becomes a fascinating scientific adventure for the reader.
In the story surrounding steroids, we can not only see the process of drug development that can be found all around us, but also encounter the raw passion of countless people for science.
In the 1920s, Dr. Leo Stanley, a prison doctor, performed up to 1,000 testicular transplants on inmates.
Even though some scholars were studying life-saving substances, such as extracting female hormones from tens of tons of pregnant women's urine or testing steroids on the wrong patients, the stories of some scholars are shocking.
There are also moving histories that feel like watching a movie.
This is a story about the development of contraceptive pills.
Margaret Sanger, a birth control activist, meets Catherine McCormick, a billionaire widow who was a women's suffrage activist, and this allows her to develop a contraceptive pill.
They challenge the divine realm of life through arduous attempts, including meeting and persuading endocrinologist Gregory Pinkus and renowned doctor John Rock.


When the author discovers each steroid or discusses its analogs and synthetic counterparts, he provides a detailed explanation and a diagram of the chemical structure of the relevant substance.
The author's accessible chemical knowledge allows you to comfortably immerse yourself in the journey of these brilliant chemists as they strive to transform molecular structures at the nanoscale and achieve desired results.
As you follow the struggles they have faced, you may find yourself naturally enjoying the unfamiliar field of chemistry.
If you're looking for a new experience, breaking away from the familiar science narrative, "Steroid Humanity" will help you embark on an unfamiliar adventure.