The 5th edition of Brody’s Human Pharmacology: Molecular to Clinical has been designed to assist students in all health professions learn the most up-to-date and relevant pharmacological information. As our knowledge in the biomedical sciences and sources of information in pharmacology continue to increase at an astonishing rate, it has become difficult for students to identify the concepts required for a basic understanding of pharmacology. A major goal of this book is to assist students in their learning by presenting information in the clearest and most concise manner using prototypical drugs to illustrate basic mechanisms; boxes and tables to emphasize key points and relevant clinical information; and multicolored illustrations to depict key concepts and mechanisms.
This edition differs from prior editions in that the chapters within each section were updated and edited by section editors to ensure consistency of coverage and style. Content was selected to emphasize the needs of students in medicine and other health professions. Sections and chapters were formatted to provide a clear and consistent organization with sections titled:
• Therapeutic Overview
• Mechanisms of Action
• Pharmacokinetics
• Relation of Mechanisms of Action to Clinical Response
• Pharmacovigilance: Side Effects, Clinical Problems, and Toxicity
• New Horizons
Standard color-coded boxes include Major Drug Classes, Abbreviations, Therapeutic Overview, Clinical Problems, and Trade Names. Many of the figures have been revised to more clearly illustrate the information provided in the text to assist students in learning critical information. As the number of drugs in each drug class has increased, an emphasis has been placed on major drug classes relevant to each chapter with all generic and trade-named materials presented at the end of each chapter.
As with the 4th edition, downloadable versions of the multicolored figures explaining key concepts will be available on Student Consult.
I have been humbled by the experience of preparing and editing this book, and sincerely hope that the content revisions, focus on key concepts, consistent organization, and new figures make this edition very user friendly and helpful for both students and teachers of pharmacology for all health professions.