Table of Contents

Section 1. General Principles 1. What is pharmacology? 2. How drugs act: general principles 3. How drugs act: molecular aspects 4. Cellular mechanisms: excitation, contraction and secretion 5. Cellular mechanisms: cell proliferation and apoptosis 6. Method and measurement in pharmacology 7. Absorption and distribution of drugs 8. Drug elimination and pharmacokinetics Section 2. Chemical Mediators 9. Chemical mediators and the autonomic nervous system 10. Cholinergic transmission 11. Noradrenergic transmission 12. Other peripheral mediators: 5-hydroxytryptamine and purines 13. Peptides and proteins as mediators 14. Nitric oxide 15. Local hormones, inflammation and immune reactions 16. Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant drugs Section 3. Drugs Affecting Major Organ Systems 17. The heart 18. The vascular system 19. Atherosclerosis and lipoprotein metabolism 20. Haemostasis and thrombosis 21. The heamopoietic system 22. The respiratory system 23. The kidney 24. The gastrointestinal tract 25. The endocrine pancreas and the control of blood glucose 26. Obesity 27. The pituitary and adrenal cortex 28. The thyroid 29. The reproductive system 30. Bone metabolism Section 4. The Nervous System 31. Chemical transmission and drug action in the central nervous system 32. Amino acid transmitters 33. Other transmitters and modulators 34. Neurodegenerative disorders 35. General anaesthetic agents 36. Anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs 37. Antipsychotic drugs 38. Drugs used in affective disorders 39. Antiepileptic drugs 40. Analgesic drugs 41. CNS stimulants and psychotomimetic drugs 42. Drug dependence and drug abuse 43. Local anaesthetics Section 5. Drugs Used in the Treatment of Infections and Cancer 44. Basic principles of chemotherapy 45. Antibacterial drugs 46. Antiviral drugs 48. Antiprotozoal drugs 49. Anthelminthic drugs 50. Cancer chemotherapy Section 6. Special Topics 51. Individual variation and drug interaction 52. Unwanted effects and drug toxicity 53. Lifestyle and non-medical uses of drugs 53. Gene therapy 54. Drug discovery and development Appendix Index

Reviews

"This textbook nimbly covers a wide, complex subject without dumbing it down. It's easy to read (in bite sized chunks) and the liberal use of colour, and high quality paper, add a feel-good factor."
BMA Awards 2007 "An excellent and comprehensive book about most aspects of pharmacology. The best thing is that it doesn't go too deep into details; it gives you just enough information on a basic level, that you actually remember what you just read...A book you can use throughout the whole course. Online supplementary material is available, and is great to use if you don't want to carry the book around all day"
Medical Student, University of Oslo, Norway "Boxes with key points and clinical applications are great-this is where you look while revising, and shows you as well what is really important in the accompanying text.You never get lost. It is written for the student!"
Medical Student, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic "...a necessity amongst medical students...your go to pharmacology book"
Medical Student, Keele University, UK Here is the 6th edition of this popular textbook which has undergone extensive updating. Presentation is impeccable with good use being made of colour and different fonts. Tables and diagrams are clear. For student pharmacists, pharmacologists, medical students and in fact anyone requiring detailed knowledge of the subject, this book is the business. And reviewers at one of the UK's most popular online book retailers almost all agree! Unividas, Dr JM Sager, Jan 2009