Pills, Potions and Poisons : How Drugs Work
Pills, Potions and Poisons : How Drugs Work

Author: Trevor Stone

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2000-03-16

Total Pages: 502

ISBN-13: 9780191587849

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About half of all the medicines prescribed by doctors are not taken by their patients. One of the reasons most commonly given by patients for not taking drugs is that they feel unhappy about taking medicines which they do not understand and of which they are afraid. This book attempts to rectify this problem by showing in clear, non-technical language how medicines and other drugs work in the body to reduce the effects of disease. Most chapters include fascinating background information on how some of our most important drugs were discovered, along with intriguing and often amusing anecdotes about the drugs and the people behind their discovery. Each chapter also includes a summary of the key points together with illustrations, photographs or diagrams to summarise the main groups and how they work in the body. The book covers all the major groups of drugs, with complete listings of all the drugs available in the UK and the USA, so that the reader can locate his or her specific drug and read about the actions of the drugs in that group. The various chapters cover drugs used to treat high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, ulcers, cancers, infections, impotence, incontinence, arthritis, osteoporosis, as well as hormone replacement therapy, oral contraceptives and drugs used in disorders of the brain such as schizophrenia, depression, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. There is also a chapter on drugs which are abused such as cannabis, alcohol, nicotine and ecstasy, and a chapter covering some of the poisons we encounter, such as carbon monoxide, arsenic, sheep dip, and the venoms of snakes, spiders, scorpions and marine organisms. Here, then, a fascinating survey of how chemicals have their effects in the body. It shows how drugs work and explains why it is that taking some medicines for many years is far safer than suffering the long-term effects of disease. Pills, Potions and Poisons is an entertaining read that should also help to improve your health and quality of life.

Pills, Potions and Poisons
Pills, Potions and Poisons

Author: Trevor Stone

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2000-03-16

Total Pages: 492

ISBN-13: 9780198504030

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The first book to describe how medicines and other drugs work, in language accessible to those without a scientific background. Most chapters include fascinating background information on how some of our most important drugs were discovered, along with intriguing and often amusing anecdotes about the drugs and people behind their discovery. Each chapter also includes a summary of the key points together with illustrations, photographs or diagrams to summarise the main groups of drugs and how they work in the body. The book covers all the major groups of drugs, with complete listings of all the drugs available in the UK and USA, so that the reader can locate his or her specific drug and read about the actions of the drug in that group. There are also chapters on drugs of abuse and on poisonous substances which afflict mankind. Pills, Potions and Poisons provides a fascinating survey of how chemicals have their effects in the body. It shows how drugs work and explains why it is that taking some medicines for years is far safer than suffering the long-term effects of disease. Here is an entertaining read that should also help to improve your health and quality of life.

Drugs
Drugs

Author: Leslie L. Iversen

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 0198745796

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The twentieth century saw a remarkable upsurge of research on drugs, with major advances in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections, heart disease, stomach ulcers, cancer, and metal illnesses. These, along with the introduction of the oral contraceptive, have altered all of our lives. There has also been an increase in the recreational use and abuse of drugs in the Western world. This Very Short Introduction, in its second edition, gives a non-technical account of how drugs work in the body. Reviewing both legal (alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine) and illegal drugs, Les Iversen discusses why some are addictive, and whether drug laws need reform. ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Pills, Potions, and Poisons
Pills, Potions, and Poisons

Author: T. W. Stone

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13: 9780198609421

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About half of all the medicines prescribed by doctors are not taken by their patients. One of the reasons most commonly given by patients for not taking drugs is that they feel unhappy about taking medicines which they do not understand and of which they are afraid. This book attempts to rectify this problem by showing in clear, non-technical language how medicines and other drugs work in the body to reduce the effects of disease. Most chapters include fascinating background information on how some of our most important drugs were discovered, along with intriguing and often amusing anecdotes about the drugs and the people behind their discovery. Each chapter also includes a summary of the key points together with illustrations, photographs or diagrams to summarise the main groups and how they work in the body. The book covers all the major groups of drugs, with complete listings of all the drugs available in the UK and the USA, so that the reader can locate his or her specific drug and read about the actions of the drugs in that group. The various chapters cover drugs used to treat high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, ulcers, cancers, infections, impotence, incontinence, arthritis, osteoporosis, as well as hormone replacement therapy, oral contraceptives and drugs used in disorders of the brain such as schizophrenia, depression, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. There is also a chapter on drugs which are abused such as cannabis, alcohol, nicotine and ecstasy, and a chapter covering some of the poisons we encounter, such as carbon monoxide, arsenic, sheep dip, and the venoms of snakes, spiders, scorpions and marine organisms. Here, then, a fascinating survey of how chemicals have their effects in the body. It shows how drugs work and explains why it is that taking some medicines for many years is far safer than suffering the long-term effects of disease. Pills, Potions and Poisons is an entertaining read that should also help to improve your health and quality of life.

Poisonous Plants
Poisonous Plants

Author: Robert Bevan-Jones

Publisher: Windgather Press

Published: 2009-08-01

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1909686220

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The botanical history of Britain and North West Europe has a dark and a light side. Plants have been used as weapons to harm people, taken deliberately as addictive drugs and also employed as tools in witchcraft and used as magical amulets. Yet many of these same plants have been medicinally vital to numerous European communities; as the author notes, frequently the only difference between a benevolent medicine and a poison is dosage. In this book, which is richly illustrated with modern colour photographs and illustrations from herbals, Robert Bevan-Jones brings together a wealth of documentary and archaeo-botanical sources to discuss the cultural, social (and anti-social) role of the fifty most significant species of poisonous plants and fungi found in Britain, either as natives or as introductions. An introductory essay puts into context the development of British society's knowledge of toxic plants: the 'cultural botany' applied in Britain today has evolved over thousands of years, absorbing information from European texts and importing useful plants from Europe, such as the mandrake. The book's central A to Z section - from aconite to yew - then informs the reader about the history and uses of 43 species of poisonous plants, especially those that have a documented history of medicinal usage. Four important fungi species - death cap, liberty cap, fly agaric and ergot - also have separate essays. As well as the plants' histories and appearance, their chemical constituents receive coverage; these give them powerful and diverse properties, which demand our admiration and respect. The book aims to add to the knowledge offered by field identification guides, and help reduce the risk associated with accidental ingestion. Case histories are given in as much detail as possible and the information will hopefully help the reader understand the properties of plants they may encounter, either in an archaeological, botanical or horticultural context. Most of these plants can yet be found growing in woodlands, parks, botanical gardens, roadsides, waterways, churchyards and abbey sites. This is an essential book not only for botanists and historical ecologists, but also for anyone interested in the toxic plant traditions of Britain and Europe.

Information Resources in Toxicology
Information Resources in Toxicology

Author: P.J. Bert Hakkinen

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2009-08-19

Total Pages: 1553

ISBN-13: 0080920039

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This latest version of Information Resources in Toxicology (IRT) continues a tradition established in 1982 with the publication of the first edition in presenting an extensive itemization, review, and commentary on the information infrastructure of the field. This book is a unique wide-ranging, international, annotated bibliography and compendium of major resources in toxicology and allied fields such as environmental and occupational health, chemical safety, and risk assessment. Thoroughly updated, the current edition analyzes technological changes and is rife with online tools and links to Web sites. IRT-IV is highly structured, providing easy access to its information. Among the "hot topics covered are Disaster Preparedness and Management, Nanotechnology, Omics, the Precautionary Principle, Risk Assessment, and Biological, Chemical and Radioactive Terrorism and Warfare are among the designated. - International in scope, with contributions from over 30 countries - Numerous key references and relevant Web links - Concise narratives about toxicologic sub-disciplines - Valuable appendices such as the IUPAC Glossary of Terms in Toxicology - Authored by experts in their respective sub-disciplines within toxicology

The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action, Power PDF
The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action, Power PDF

Author: Richard B. Silverman

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2005-02-04

Total Pages: 634

ISBN-13: 0080575382

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This CD-ROM edition of Silverman's Organic Chemisry of Drug Design and Drug Action, Second Edition reflects the significant changes in the drug industry in recent years, using an accessible interactive approach. This CD-ROM integrates the author's own PowerPoint slides, indexed and linked to the book pages in PDF format. The three-part structure includes an all-electronic text with full-text search capabilites and nearly 800 powerpoint slides. This is a unique and powerful combination of electronic study guide and full book pages. Users can hyperlink seamlessly from the main text to key points and figures on the outline and back again. It serves as a wonderful supplement for instructors as well as a fully integrated text and study aid for students. * Three-part package includes 1) powerpoint, 2) integrated powerpoint and pdf-based text, and 3) fully searchable PDF-based text with index * Includes new full-color illustrations, structures, schemes, and figures as well as extensive chapter problems and exercises * User-friendly buttons transition from overview (study-guide) format to corresponding book page and back with the click of a mouse * Full-text search capabality an incomparable tool for researchers seeking specific references and/or unindexed phrases

The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action
The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action

Author: Richard B. Silverman

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2012-12-02

Total Pages: 650

ISBN-13: 0080513379

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Standard medicinal chemistry courses and texts are organized by classes of drugs with an emphasis on descriptions of their biological and pharmacological effects. This book represents a new approach based on physical organic chemical principles and reaction mechanisms that allow the reader to extrapolate to many related classes of drug molecules. The Second Edition reflects the significant changes in the drug industry over the past decade, and includes chapter problems and other elements that make the book more useful for course instruction. - New edition includes new chapter problems and exercises to help students learn, plus extensive references and illustrations - Clearly presents an organic chemist's perspective of how drugs are designed and function, incorporating the extensive changes in the drug industry over the past ten years - Well-respected author has published over 200 articles, earned 21 patents, and invented a drug that is under consideration for commercialization

Drug Discovery and Evaluation: Pharmacological Assays
Drug Discovery and Evaluation: Pharmacological Assays

Author: Hans G. Vogel

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2002-06-13

Total Pages: 1454

ISBN-13: 3540423966

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Now expanded and updated to include molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques. The second edition of this successful reference book contains a comprehensive selection of the most frequently used assays for reliably detecting the pharmacological effects of potential drugs. Each of the more than 1000 assays comprises a detailed protocol outlining the purpose and rationale of the method, a critical assessment of the results and their pharmacological and clinical relevance. The enclosed and fully searchable CD ROM allows easy identification of specific tests. An appendix with up-to-date guidelines and legal regulations for animal experiments in various countries will help the reader to plan experiments more effectively.