Worthen, DB. Heroes of Pharmacy: Professional Leadership in Times of Change, 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: American Pharmacists Association; 2012, 496 pp, $39.95 (hardcover), ISBN 9781582121635.

Heroes of Pharmacy: Professional Leadership in Times of Change, the second edition, is the culmination of Dennis B. Worthen’s articles on American pharmacy heroes that were published in the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association (and then the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association) from 2002 until 2010.^1,2 The first edition covered a little over half of the published articles; this second edition hardcover book encompasses all of the articles.³ The intent of the original articles (and subsequently, of the book), according to the author’s preface, was to address the general lack of knowledge among pharmacy practitioners of the historical pharmacy figures who toiled and risked to advance the profession. While engaged in other historical research, Dr. Worthen discovered that many within the profession could name a few historical pharmacists or awards named for historical figures, but few knew the facts behind the names. By addressing this deficit, the book fills a significant gap in the literature concerning American pharmacy history.

While addressing the profession’s collective ignorance of historical figures, Dr. Worthen simultaneously addressed 2 other important issues with this work. First, he delineated what constitutes a “hero” in the context of a profession. According to Dr. Worthen, when viewed in a professional context, a hero is one who sacrifices personal interests and champions the advancement of one’s profession even in the face of opposition. Second, based on this definition, the author addressed what makes an individual into a hero of pharmacy. The preface of the book provides the inclusion criteria for the heroes profiled, the roles played by professional heroes, and why heroes are relevant. Each historical figure’s profile then provides, in story format, how that individual’s life accomplishments resulted in his designation of “pharmacy hero.”

Heroes of Pharmacy primarily consists of the original 55 published essays, each comprising a chapter within the book. These essays included the introductory essay entitled “Who Are Your Heroes,” a monograph of the 20 founders of the American Pharmaceutical Association (now American Pharmacists Association) – 4 of whom are also individually profiled, monographs of 52 American pharmacy historical figures, and the ending essay entitled “Heroes of Pharmacy Postscript: Ave atque vale.” The monographs describe how each individual approached, engaged, and impacted the profession, and how the profession reacted or changed in response. In an easy to read format, Dr. Worthen details how some were rewarded, while others were scorned, but how all left behind a professional legacy.

In addition to the original essays, the book contains a few items that did not appear in or with the published articles. There is a foreword, written by Lowell Anderson, which explains why heroes of the past can assist in the creation and motivation of professional leadership in the future. The author’s preface describes the intent and origin of the essays, as well as how the heroes were selected. With the extensive introduction, Dr. Worthen provides significant summary data regarding the referenced historical pharmacy figures, much of it in easily-referenced table format. Finally, a complete index for the book was created – quite helpful when using the book for reference or research purposes. This textbook is a comprehensive reference for anyone interested in those who were instrumental in making the pharmacy profession what it is today.

Only 2 shortcomings of the book were noted, both of which are more of a bothersome nature than a detraction from the work. First, all the profile chapters have subheadings for sections, most of which are clear and understandable. However, several different names (ie, beginnings, early years, personal, and personal and education) were used in the essays to describe the same section concerning family and education information regarding the figure being profiled. It would have been better to select and use one common, more reflective name for these similar sections. The second criticism involves the ordering of the monograph chapters alphabetically by the historical figure’s last name. With the comprehensive index, there was no need to arrange the book alphabetically. A chronological ordering of the monographs would have made the presentation more understandable and allowed the reader to make easier connections between historical figures that had coexisted or had working relationships.

Heroes of Pharmacy is an excellent and worthwhile addition to the repertoire of historical American pharmacy literature. At minimum, every pharmacy library or collection should have a copy of this work. The book is not the final source on each of its profiled heroes, but it provides the highlights for each individual and an excellent starting point for those desiring to do further research. As a course textbook or supplemental reference, it would be quite useful in history courses, as well as in courses on professional leadership or pharmacy entrepreneurship. Finally, due to Dr. Worthen’s presentation style, the book could grace the shelves of many a pharmacist’s personal library as simply an enjoyable read regarding our profession’s evolution.