Protecting America's Health: The FDA, Business, and One Hundred Years of Regulation.

In the late 1800s, foodstuffs sold at market were regularly contaminated, adulterated, or rotting. Ingredients in medicines were often diluted, faked, or mixed with dangerous substances. In response, Congress established the Food and Drug Administration as the first citizen-protection agency of the federal government. Championed by Theodore Roosevelt, the FDA established the principle that the government should both promote commerce and intervene when abuses occur. Other regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Securities and Exchange Commission, followed. In the early days, the FDA was a small operation employing a handful of chemists and inspectors. Today, 9,000 employees are responsible for overseeing the products of 95,000 businesses, which amount to $1 trillion worth of goods a year--about a quarter the United States' economy. Hilts relates scores of egregious acts by major corporations, as discovered and thwarted by the FDA. He also depicts the day-to-day activities of the agency. During the Reagan administration, deregulation effected major changes within the FDA. For instance, the agency no longer regulates herbal remedies and food supplements. Hilts charts the history of the FDA and explains the agency's influence not only in the United States, but also around the world. Knopf, 2003, 394 p., b&w plates, hardcover, $26.95.