![]() Thus, amoxicillin cures a strep throat, and cimetidine promotes the healing of duodenal ulcers. There is a distinction between what a drug does and how it acts. Pharmacology studies the effects of drugs and how they exert their effects. Pharmacology has been defined as “an experimental science which has for its purpose the study of changes brought about in living organisms by chemically acting substances (with the exception of foods), whether used for therapeutic purposes or not.” In actual use, however, its meaning is limited to the study of the actions of drugs. This article briefly presents the historical development of pharmacology and some of the basic methods used.Įtymologically, pharmacology is the science of drugs (Greek pharmakos, medicine or drug and logos, study). A promising compound is investigated by many other scientists-toxicologists, microbiologists, clinicians-but only after the pharmacologist has documented a potential therapeutic effect. The medicinal chemist may create the candidate compound, but the pharmacologist is the one who tests it for physiologic activity. Pharmacology is one of the cornerstones of the drug discovery process.
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