INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY: INTRODUCTION

Pharmacology can be defined as the study of substances that interact with living systems through chemical processes, especially by binding to

regulatory molecules and activating or inhibiting normal body processes. These substances may be chemicals administered to achieve a beneficial

therapeutic effect on some process within the patient or for their toxic effects on regulatory processes in parasites infecting the patient. Such

deliberate therapeutic applications may be considered the proper role of medical pharmacology, which is often defined as the science of

substances used to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Toxicology is the branch of pharmacology that deals with the undesirable effects of

chemicals on living systems, from individual cells to humans to complex ecosystems (Figure 1–1).









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