Pharmacology / H.P. Rang [and others] ; illustrations by Peter Lamb

Includes bibliographical references and index

Sect. 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. Elimination and pharmacokinetics -- Sect. 2 Chemical mediators -- 9. Chemical mediators and the autonomic nervous system -- 10. Colinear 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 responses -- 16. Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant drugs -- Sect. 3 Drugs affecting majors organ systems -- 17. The heart -- 18. The vascular system -- 19. Atherosclerosis and lipoprotein metabolism -- 20. Haemostasis and thrombosis -- 21. Haemopoietic system -- 22. Respiratory system -- 23. Kidney -- 24. Gastrointestinal tract -- 25. Endocrine pancreas and the control of blood glucose -- 26. Obesity -- 27. Pituitary and adrenal cortex -- 28. Thyroid -- 29. Reproductive system -- 30. Bone metabolism -- Sect. 4 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 -- Sect. 5 Drugs used in the treatment of infections and cancer -- 44. Basic principles of chemotherapy -- 45. Antibacterial drugs -- 46. Antiviral drugs -- 47. Antifungal drugs -- 48. Antiprotozoal drugs -- 49. Anthelminthic drugs -- 50. Cancer chemotherapy -- Sect. 6 Special topics -- 51. Individual variation and drug interaction -- 52. Harmful effects of drugs -- 53. Gene therapy -- 54. Drug discovery and development -- Appendix -- Index

Providing students with an overview of how a class of drugs will be used in a clinical situation, this text covers physiology and biochemistry as well as pharmacology. It explains how drugs act and relates them to their effects and clinical uses