The Secret History of the War on Cancer (Hardcover)

~ Devra Davis (Author)
Key Phrases: coke oven workers, safer cigarette, safe cigarette, The Secret History of the War, World War, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Washington Post
“…Davis put it together in a way that illuminates the underbelly of medical research."

O magazine
"In her devastating, 20-years-in-the-making expose...Devra Davis... shows how cancer researchers, bankrolled by petrochemical and pharmaceutical companies, among others, collude in 'the science of doubt promotion.'...Davis diagnoses two of the most lethal diseases of modern society: secrecy and self-interest. This book is a dramatic plea for a cure."

Discover
“Davis’s new book, THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE WAR ON CANCER, is a wake-up call for all those who have accepted the poisons of our age of plenty without a blink.”

Lancet Oncology
“A feisty and highly accessible writer, Davis lays her cards on the table…a rattling good read and raises vital issues that remain relevant today.”

Booklist starred review
“…several big ACS [American Cancer Society] contributors, are heavily invested in keeping the public from becoming fully informed of the risks of myriad chemicals to which we and our children are exposed…Money, it seems, trumps all. Treatment and cures are hefty profit generators, and it’s expensive to change or eliminate the use of potentially toxic chemicals…Kudos to Davis for stepping up to the plate.”

The Times (Higher Education Supplement)
“The Secret History of the War on Cancer reflects the complex interaction of science, politics and society in the 20th century. I am left wondering how it will change in the 21st.”

Toronto Globe & Mail
“…easily the most important science book of the year…Each and every chapter in this book offers an uncomfortable revelation.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Davis is excellent at following the money and fearless about naming names…With this work, Devra Davis has permanently reframed the ‘war.’ It should be required reading for those with cancer histories in their families. In other words, just about all of us.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer / Best 20 Books of 2007
“This searing book from a University of Pittsburgh epidemiologist lays out 35 years of medical greed and cowardice that left millions of Americans vulnerable to environmental and occupational cancer deaths. Countless political books attempt to influence the electorate, but this one stands out from the pack, demonstrating why money changes everything.”

New York Law Journal
“…compelling and well-written text moves from past to present to assess scores of contemporary workplace and lifestyle hazards, from cell phones to household cleansers to diet soft drinks, and makes clear that the law has been useless in protecting our health.”

New York Review of Books
“Joining this increasingly fractious debate with devastating force, Devra Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, claims that the war “has been fighting many of the wrong battles with the wrong weapons and the wrong leaders.” She calculates that these “fundamental misdirections” have thrown away well over a million American lives. Her aim in The Secret History of the War on Cancer is to deliver nothing less than a “reckoning” of this terrible toll.”

Library Journal
“…Davis writes with passion, driven by the conviction that premature deaths among her family members resulted from exposure to industrial toxins…a powerful call to action.”

Kirkus Reviews
“…a detailed history of workplace and environmental carcinogens that predates Nixon's "war" on cancer in the '70s. … fascinating reading as Davis reviews the tobacco story and describes conditions in steel mills, copper smelters, chemical factories and plastics plants, where workers are exposed to insidious and lethal solvents and agents such as asbestos, benzene, formaldehyde and dioxin. She also immortalizes the many poor people in small towns next to waste dumps or downstream from hugely polluted rivers who died from cancer or whose children suffered birth defects. In almost every case, the offending corporation lied, denied, delayed or bought-off complaints, recruiting the best legal talent and, sad to say, even highly respected scientists.”

LJExpress.com
“Davis writes with passion, driven by the conviction that premature deaths among her family members resulted from exposure to industrial toxins… The Secret History is a powerful call to action; recommended for most libraries.”

Lisa Heinzerling, Georgetown University Law Center, and author of Priceless: On Knowing the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing
“Devra Davis has written a brave and brilliant book. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered why we’ve spent so much more effort treating cancer than preventing it.”

David O. Carpenter, M.D., Director, Institute for Health and the Environment, State University of New York at Albany
“The Secret History of the War on Cancer should be read by everyone who believes that our governments have done an effective job of promoting our health.”

David Servan-Schreiber, author of The Instinct to Heal
“Devra Lee Davis writes with clarity, passion and unassailable precision. This book is fascinating blend of history, science, politics and medicine that reads like a novel.”

Lorenzo Tomatis, MD, Former Director, International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization
“With the mastery of a great writer Devra Davis takes the reader inside the successes, the failures, and the ambiguity of research on cancer.”

Teresa Heinz Kerry, co-author of This Moment on Earth
"A breathtaking, impeccably documented wake-up call for what we should have done and what we must do!”

Mitchell Gaynor, MD, President, Gaynor Integrative Oncology
“The Secret History of the War on Cancer is a masterful combination of scientific insights and investigative journalism. If you want to know why one in three Americans develops cancer, read this book.”

Nature
“A well-documented, prosecutorial account of the dark side of cancer-control politics…merits attention.”

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

From the National Book Award finalist, author of When Smoke Ran Like Water, a searing, haunting and deeply personal account of the War on Cancer.

The War on Cancer set out to find, treat, and cure a disease. Left untouched were many of the things known to cause cancer, including tobacco, the workplace, radiation, or the global environment. Proof of how the world in which we live and work affects whether we get cancer was either overlooked or suppressed.

This has been no accident.

The War on Cancer was run by leaders of industries that made cancer-causing products, and sometimes also profited from drugs and technologies for finding and treating the disease. Filled with compelling personalities and never-before-revealed information, The Secret History of the War on Cancer shows how we began fighting the wrong war, with the wrong weapons, against the wrong enemies--a legacy that persists to this day.

This is the gripping story of a major public health effort diverted and distorted for private gain.

A portion of the profits from this book will go to support research on cancer prevention.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 528 pages Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (October 1, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0465015662 ISBN-13: 978-0465015665 Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 2.3 x 0.8 inches Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,983 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #15 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Oncology #23 in  Books > Science > History & Philosophy > History #26 in  Books > Science > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Oncology

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More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Devra Lee Davis Page

Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
coke oven workers, safer cigarette, safe cigarette, modern hazards, human harm

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Secret History of the War, World War, United States, Presumed Innocent, National Cancer Institute, Phantom Collaborators, The Harshest of Schoolmasters, Doctoring Evidence, American Cancer Society, Saving Cigarettes, Chasing Tales, Fear Sells, Broad Enough Principle, Making Goods, Cancer Doctoring, The Good War, New Jersey, Richard Doll, Deconstructing Cancer Statistics, New York, Mary Lasker, Reader's Digest, University of Texas, National Institutes of Health, Lucky Strike

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	94% buy the item featured on this page: The Secret History of the War on Cancer 4.2 out of 5 stars (38) $21.24
	2% buy Anticancer: A New Way of Life 4.8 out of 5 stars (116) $16.35
	1% buy When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales Of Environmental Deception And The Battle Against Pollution 4.7 out of 5 stars (16) $12.50
	1% buy Doubt is Their Product: How Industry's Assault on Science Threatens Your Health 4.8 out of 5 stars (10) $18.45

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Customer Reviews

38 Reviews 5 star:  (26) 4 star:  (5) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:  (5)           Average Customer Review 4.2 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 30 of 33 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A Brave Book that Needs Wider Attention, January 31, 2008 By  H. Laack - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       Devra Davis has combined history, personal anecdote and experience, and deep scientific knowledge and research to provide readers with a sometimes chilling view of where we stand in the "war against cancer." She is not afraid to name names of both individuals and corporations who have too often put profit above people. The frightening thing as one reads this is how current the continuing coverups and dissembling are; this is not the story of past misdeeds alone. There is a lot of information here that needs to be much more widely disseminated and discussed. As we look to a new administration in 2009, this book will be a good one for voters and policy makers alike to read and use for beginning new ways of approaching some of the environmental health issues Dr. Davis raises. As she points out over and over, we need not only to work for better treatments for cancer cases; we need to work to eliminate those carcinogenic factors we can control. As long as factions pit tobacco against pollution against other chemicals, always pointing the finger away from their own actions, the "war on cancer" will continue to be too weakly fought. Dr. Davis has provided a great service, but I have given this only 4 stars due to the need to tighten the writing of the book. Her history lessons were superb, but too many chapters jumped from one subject to the next without cohesiveness; sometimes I found myself having to go back a couple of pages to review the thread of a topic that she suddenly brought back into her narrative. A little more editing and this would be a standout five star book. Nonetheless, read the book, buy a copy or two and pass it on to all those you know who are in or outside the field of medicine, whose family members have already been touched by cancer or, as is more and more likely, will be in the future. 44 of 53 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Information on Cancer Prevention, October 4, 2007 By  M. Goldsmith "MMG" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Amazon Verified Purchase I am ordering this book after listening to Devra Davis' interview by Terry Gross on NPR. She provides extremely intelligent, scientifically sound, and reasonable advice about what environmental toxins lead to cancer and why. Recently my older son stated that he had read a summary of research claiming that aspertame was safe for consumption and did not cause cancer. Davis corrects this claim by pointing out that the studies done did not span a long enough period of time to detect cancer. Aspertame often takes up to twenty or forty years to cause brain cancer. This is the kind of essential information we need to know in order to make informed decisions about what we take into our bodies, use in our houses (she also talked about cleaning products), and allow medical practitioners to do with our bodies (for example, it is not wise to allow young girls to have CT scans because of their effect on developing breasts unless health conditions are dire). I highly recommend this book. 20 of 23 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The war on cancer is like the war on science, January 14, 2008 By  biogeek - See all my reviews The purpose of this book was not to document how many people have died of cancer or any other ailment. This book shows that even when epidemiology and animal studies clearly demonstrated the carcinogenic properties of various chemicals that in many cases this data was conveniently forgotten (at best) and actively buried (at worst). Mr. Kaufman says that the war on cancer has always been about finding ways to treat cancer. Perhaps, but anyone who has watched someone suffer from cancer (and who hasn't) would likely agree that preventing cancer would be a much better way to fight cancer than to solely focus on treatment. Why isn't prevention the focus of the war on cancer? The short version is because industry and government are working together to make sure the money keeps rolling in at the expense of everyone else. Davis cites examples of doctors and others who smoked and were in denial for decades about the fact that cigarette smoking causes cancer. Why? Because they either worked in the industry (and made money) or they simply didn't want to believe it. Just because you don't want to believe something doesn't negate overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This book shows how industry and government buried information or failed to act to prevent thousands of cancer deaths. What is even more frightening is that this is still occurring. Very few chemicals are tested by EPA before being approved for the market. Phthalates and BPA are in numerous products that we all use every day. Not only are these chemicals possible carcinogens, but as is becoming increasingly observed in both animal studies and also in humans, they disrupt hormone signaling. This is particularly disturbing in developing male fetuses in which they can have feminizing effects that can result in male deformities and eventual reproductive difficulties. The government wants iron-clad proof before banning these chemicals, but I believe that in the face of current data, reasonable doubt should be the criterion used. As Davis' book makes clear, government will not act unless it is financially advantageous to do so. As products containing banned (in the EU) chemicals continue to be sold in the US, we and our children are becoming the guinea pigs in one of the largest chemical experiments ever conducted. The more the government censors scientists, alters reports and refuses to believe ever-increasing scientific data on the dangers of chemicals we slather on our skin every day (among other things) the less safe we will be and we can expect the cancer rate to continue to increase.		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary research, excellent writing, powerful message The best tool for health is good information put into practice - and Devra Davis has put together in one place a wealth of thought-provoking data that gives you and I... Read more Published 3 months ago by T. H. Snell 5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth a read, but not as scarey as you may think Medical science and better hygiene have let us live longer than ever. Since cancer is usually more common among the elderly, one might conclude that cancers rates increase as our... Read more Published 5 months ago by Paul Delaney 1.0 out of 5 stars Anecdotal and dated; nothing to learn here... The Secret History of the War on Cancer is an inflated account of certain anecdotal information, which is out of date and largely irrelevant. Read more Published 5 months ago by Patrick Corley 5.0 out of 5 stars Causes of Cancer Have Been Known for 100 Years From: www.BasilAndSpice.com Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life! Book Review: The Secret History of the War On Cancer (Basic Books, 2007)by Devra Davis,... Read more Published 13 months ago by Kelly J. Jadon 2.0 out of 5 stars Read Gary Taubes' "Good Calories, Bad Calories" instead. Some points: Higher rates of cancer among those of African descent may be on account of especially lower vitamin D levels in them not supposedly greater exposure to carcinogens... Read more Published 14 months ago by xxxxx 4.0 out of 5 stars Trust Us - The Search for a Cancer Cure is a Fraud! I thought this was a good book because it effectively draws more attention to the fact that organized medicine is entirely different than it appears to be. Read more Published 15 months ago by R. Mauer 5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Story on Cancer No wonder people want to shut her down - she cites the truth about corporations and government and where the money goes (and should be going). Read more Published 17 months ago by C. Martin 5.0 out of 5 stars What we need to know. I found this to be a coherent and easy to read book in which Devra Davis presents a logical explanation of various kinds causes of cancer from industry to personal products. Read more Published 18 months ago by Jean Sinclair 5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret Hitory in the War on Cancer This book is a must read for everyone, not just cancer patients. It is quite eye opening what most people do not know about how important health issues are many times swept under... Read more Published 18 months ago by Joanne Varga 5.0 out of 5 stars Sobering truths The Secret History of the War on Cancer would have been written many years ago, but the author was warned it might cost her her job at the National Institutes of Health due to its... Read more Published 19 months ago by Connoisseur Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465015662
• ISBN-13: 978-0465015665
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 2.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,983 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #15 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Oncology
  #23 in	Books > Science > History & Philosophy > History
  #26 in	Books > Science > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Oncology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Brave Book that Needs Wider Attention, January 31, 2008

By	H. Laack - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Devra Davis has combined history, personal anecdote and experience, and deep scientific knowledge and research to provide readers with a sometimes chilling view of where we stand in the "war against cancer." She is not afraid to name names of both individuals and corporations who have too often put profit above people. The frightening thing as one reads this is how current the continuing coverups and dissembling are; this is not the story of past misdeeds alone.

There is a lot of information here that needs to be much more widely disseminated and discussed. As we look to a new administration in 2009, this book will be a good one for voters and policy makers alike to read and use for beginning new ways of approaching some of the environmental health issues Dr. Davis raises. As she points out over and over, we need not only to work for better treatments for cancer cases; we need to work to eliminate those carcinogenic factors we can control. As long as factions pit tobacco against pollution against other chemicals, always pointing the finger away from their own actions, the "war on cancer" will continue to be too weakly fought.

Dr. Davis has provided a great service, but I have given this only 4 stars due to the need to tighten the writing of the book. Her history lessons were superb, but too many chapters jumped from one subject to the next without cohesiveness; sometimes I found myself having to go back a couple of pages to review the thread of a topic that she suddenly brought back into her narrative. A little more editing and this would be a standout five star book.

Nonetheless, read the book, buy a copy or two and pass it on to all those you know who are in or outside the field of medicine, whose family members have already been touched by cancer or, as is more and more likely, will be in the future.

44 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Information on Cancer Prevention, October 4, 2007

By	M. Goldsmith "MMG" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I am ordering this book after listening to Devra Davis' interview by Terry Gross on NPR. She provides extremely intelligent, scientifically sound, and reasonable advice about what environmental toxins lead to cancer and why. Recently my older son stated that he had read a summary of research claiming that aspertame was safe for consumption and did not cause cancer. Davis corrects this claim by pointing out that the studies done did not span a long enough period of time to detect cancer. Aspertame often takes up to twenty or forty years to cause brain cancer. This is the kind of essential information we need to know in order to make informed decisions about what we take into our bodies, use in our houses (she also talked about cleaning products), and allow medical practitioners to do with our bodies (for example, it is not wise to allow young girls to have CT scans because of their effect on developing breasts unless health conditions are dire). I highly recommend this book.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The war on cancer is like the war on science, January 14, 2008

By	biogeek - See all my reviews

The purpose of this book was not to document how many people have died of cancer or any other ailment. This book shows that even when epidemiology and animal studies clearly demonstrated the carcinogenic properties of various chemicals that in many cases this data was conveniently forgotten (at best) and actively buried (at worst). Mr. Kaufman says that the war on cancer has always been about finding ways to treat cancer. Perhaps, but anyone who has watched someone suffer from cancer (and who hasn't) would likely agree that preventing cancer would be a much better way to fight cancer than to solely focus on treatment.

Why isn't prevention the focus of the war on cancer? The short version is because industry and government are working together to make sure the money keeps rolling in at the expense of everyone else. Davis cites examples of doctors and others who smoked and were in denial for decades about the fact that cigarette smoking causes cancer. Why? Because they either worked in the industry (and made money) or they simply didn't want to believe it. Just because you don't want to believe something doesn't negate overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

This book shows how industry and government buried information or failed to act to prevent thousands of cancer deaths. What is even more frightening is that this is still occurring. Very few chemicals are tested by EPA before being approved for the market. Phthalates and BPA are in numerous products that we all use every day. Not only are these chemicals possible carcinogens, but as is becoming increasingly observed in both animal studies and also in humans, they disrupt hormone signaling. This is particularly disturbing in developing male fetuses in which they can have feminizing effects that can result in male deformities and eventual reproductive difficulties. The government wants iron-clad proof before banning these chemicals, but I believe that in the face of current data, reasonable doubt should be the criterion used. As Davis' book makes clear, government will not act unless it is financially advantageous to do so. As products containing banned (in the EU) chemicals continue to be sold in the US, we and our children are becoming the guinea pigs in one of the largest chemical experiments ever conducted. The more the government censors scientists, alters reports and refuses to believe ever-increasing scientific data on the dangers of chemicals we slather on our skin every day (among other things) the less safe we will be and we can expect the cancer rate to continue to increase.