Examining the issue of 'British decline' after the war, this fascinating text describes the evolution of cooperation in Britain and France, and argues that the relationship between these two countries helped to disseminate a culture of research, resulting in the transformation of the medical sciences and the pharmaceutical industry in both countries.

Of interest to a wide range of academic disciplines, this highly relevant book discusses topics including penicillin, sulphamide drugs, and the effects of war in both countries.

One of the most striking features of the twentieth century has been the rapid growth of the pharmaceutical industry and the large increases in the use and consumption of its products. This trend began in the first half of the century, but accelerated most sharply after the Second World War, when the creation of national systems of healthcare created mass markets for drugs. The industry then assumed a major economic, social and political significance, and became one of the most highly regulated sectors of the economy, attracting the attention of industry analysts as well as academics. This...