{"product_id":"free-radicals-mike-jay-9780300282610","title":"Free Radicals | Mike Jay","description":"\u003csection class=\"product-description\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6;\"\u003e\n  \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.75em; margin-bottom: 15px; border-bottom: 2px solid #2c3e50; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eFree Radicals: How a Group of Romantic Experimenters Gave Birth to Psychedelic Science\u003c\/h2\u003e\n  \n  \u003ctable style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; margin-bottom: 25px; font-size: 0.95em; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n    \u003ctbody\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n        \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; width: 30%;\"\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/th\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: bold;\"\u003e9780300282610\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n        \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50;\"\u003eAuthor\u003c\/th\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eMike Jay\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n        \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50;\"\u003eFormat\u003c\/th\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eTrade Paperback\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n        \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50;\"\u003ePublisher\u003c\/th\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eYale University Press\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n        \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50;\"\u003ePublication Date\u003c\/th\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eAugust 05, 2025\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e\n        \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50;\"\u003ePage Count\u003c\/th\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003e416\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003cth style=\"text-align: left; padding: 10px; background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50;\"\u003eSubjects\u003c\/th\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px; color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eHistory of Science, Medical History, Psychopharmacology\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n  \u003c\/table\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eExtended Synopsis\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eIn the closing years of the eighteenth century, an unlikely circle of doctors, chemists, poets, and political radicals gathered around the maverick physician Thomas Beddoes. Establishing the Pneumatic Institute in Bristol—the first modern medical institute—Beddoes and his colleagues embarked on a pioneering public health initiative. However, their discovery of the mind-altering properties of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, rapidly transformed their work into a freewheeling exploration of human consciousness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eCelebrated historian Mike Jay chronicles this intellectual ferment, detailing how Beddoes precipitated a revolution in scientific investigation. Supported by luminaries like Erasmus Darwin, poets Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and a young chemistry assistant named Humphrey Davy, this unorthodox group laid the groundwork for profound cultural shifts. \u003cem\u003eFree Radicals\u003c\/em\u003e thoroughly charts how this medical laboratory became both the crucible of the Romantic movement and the veritable birthplace of modern drug culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eReader Targeting\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cul style=\"margin-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 20px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eEnthusiasts of the history of science and the origins of modern psychopharmacology.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eReaders interested in the intellectual foundations of the Romantic movement and 18th-century medical history.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eStudents and academics studying cultural sociology, psychology, and the evolution of drug culture.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMike Jay\u003c\/strong\u003e is a celebrated historian and author known for his extensive research into the intersections of science, medicine, and cultural history. His comprehensive narratives shed light on historical fringes and maverick thinkers who have significantly shaped modern scientific inquiry and societal norms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003ch3 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.25em; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eAccolades \u0026amp; Historical Significance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003ePublished by Yale University Press, this revised and updated edition features 27 black-and-white archival illustrations, historical portraits, and diagrams of early laboratory apparatuses, offering an unprecedented visual and textual account of the Pneumatic Institute's enduring legacy across science and literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\n  {\n    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n    \"@type\": \"Book\",\n    \"name\": \"Free Radicals: How a Group of Romantic Experimenters Gave Birth to Psychedelic Science\",\n    \"author\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Person\",\n      \"name\": \"Mike Jay\"\n    },\n    \"isbn\": \"9780300282610\",\n    \"numberOfPages\": \"416\",\n    \"publisher\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n      \"name\": \"Yale University Press\"\n    },\n    \"datePublished\": \"2025-08-05\",\n    \"bookFormat\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/Paperback\",\n    \"inLanguage\": \"English\",\n    \"description\": \"Mike Jay reveals how Thomas Beddoes and a circle of romantic experimenters discovered laughing gas, shaping modern science and early drug culture.\",\n    \"offers\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Offer\",\n      \"price\": \"22.99\",\n      \"priceCurrency\": \"USD\",\n      \"availability\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/InStock\"\n    },\n    \"about\": [\n      { \"@type\": \"Thing\", \"name\": \"History of Science\" },\n      { \"@type\": \"Thing\", \"name\": \"Medical History\" },\n      { \"@type\": \"Thing\", \"name\": \"Psychopharmacology\" }\n    ]\n  }\n  \u003c\/script\u003e\n\n  \u003chr style=\"border: 0; height: 1px; background: #2c3e50; margin: 30px 0;\"\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: bold; color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.1em; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-transform: uppercase;\"\u003eBust-Down Books: More Than a Bookstore\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e","brand":"Bust-Down Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50553125830971,"sku":"0300282613","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0855\/2077\/7531\/files\/9780300282610.jpg?v=1783236644","url":"https:\/\/bustdownbooks.com\/products\/free-radicals-mike-jay-9780300282610","provider":"Bust-Down Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}