One minor example might stand for many. Barber writes that "Prozac, the scientific name of which is fluoxetine, was the first drug whose public name was specifically created to evoke saleable images and ideas: in this case, the 'pro' connoting positivity, and the 'zac' the reassurance and exactitude of science." The harsh consonants, he continues, signal efficacy. Barber would have us believe that, "Before Prozac, the brand names of drugs were generally some simplified version of their scientific and generic names," as with Haldol for haloperidol.

But 50 years ago, we had meprobamate marketed as Equanil, amitriptyline as Elavil, ethchlorvynol as Placidyl, and different forms of hydroxyzine as Atarax, Tranquizine, and Equipose. Chlordiazepoxide was Librium, for balance and freedom. As for scores at Scrabble, Xanax (alprazolam), from the 1970s, placed high early.