Vanity, Vitality, and Virility by John Emsley, Oxford University Press, £18.99/$28, ISBN 0192805096
"THERE was great chemistry between them," you might say metaphorically. But literal chemistry underlies the products people use to make themselves more attractive, keep themselves healthy, and boost their sexual performance.
Clever chemistry is everywhere: fighting germs in kitchens and bathrooms, sucking up what babies deposit in their diapers, perking people up when they feel down and even giving teenagers something to chew on. Like it or not, we all use the fruits of the chemical industry and, with Emsley's help, we can be better informed about them and know how to respond to the more outlandish scare ...