|
|
|
Dear Readers, The story background of Amazon Gold was inspired by some of my general interest reading about Amazon rain forest ecology and studies of the Indians who live there. The more I read, the more the information began to blend with my professional interest in drug discovery. Maybe that's not so surprising since it was the Amazon Indians who discovered the muscle relaxant drugs that are used in our operating rooms. With a mystery and adventure story rumbling in my head, I boarded a plane for Manaus, hopped a river boat and gathered details. It became clear that Rebecca, not Ben, was the one I had to send down there. After all, she's the one with a passion for anthropology and Third World medicine. And so many readers had e-mailed to suggest that she deserves a bigger share of the action. So I made Ben stay home in Miami working on his consulting project. Of course, consulting projects can be dangerous, too, as Ben learned in Biotechnology Is Murder. I hope you like my story. With best wishes, Dirk Wyle |