The history of modern medicine is littered with so-called miracle cures that turned out to be the stuff of nightmares.
Thalidomide is the most obvious one, a treatment for morning sickness that led to devastating birth defects. For centuries, mercury was believed to treat syphilis, but instead it led to kidney failure, brain damage and a horrible death.
The Victorians cheerfully embraced cocaine and opiates as general wonder drugs, ignoring the obvious addictive and deadly side-effects. Likewise OxyContin, the painkiller that has killed thousands of people in the US.
But it’s human nature, isn’t it? Few things are more tantalising than a quick
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