Maximow PY, McDaniel RE, Jordan VC: Tamoxifen. Pioneering medicine in breast cancer

This is a book that had to be written. It tells the story of the development of tamoxifen from a failed ‘morning after’ pill to an enormously successful drug for the treatment of breast cancer in all its stages. This development proceeded because of the scientific astuteness and dedication of a handful of scientists and physicians who had to battle against the business plans of the original owners of the intellectual property. The story is a mixture of the personal journey of Craig Jordan—the man who is known as the ‘father of tamoxifen’ and pure science. Although Jordan is listed as the third co-author, this is really his story, which seems to have been partially ghost-written by the other two. This technique leads to some style confusion as the text is composed in a mixture of the first and third persons with the narrative switching from time to time between the two, often unaccountably. …