A new episode of The Humanities in the World podcast features Associate Professor Joseph M. Gabriel, Ph.D., discussing Dealing With Drugs: New Histories of Risk and Benefit (University of Rochester Press, 2026), an upcoming volume he co-edited with Nils Kessel and David Herzberg. The conversation explores how changing ideas about risk have shaped the use, evaluation, and regulation of drugs over time. 

Gabriel reflects on the enduring appeal of the “magic bullet” concept, the belief that a single drug can provide a direct solution to a health problem. While this idea has driven scientific innovation and public optimism, he emphasizes that health outcomes are also shaped by access to care and the social conditions in which people live.

The discussion also addresses the role of regulation and the importance of humanities-based perspectives in healthcare. Gabriel argues that understanding the historical and cultural forces surrounding pharmaceuticals offers valuable insight into today's health challenges. By placing scientific advances within a broader human context, historical scholarship reveals the complexities of health and illness and can help inform more effective and accessible health systems.