Autonomic Pharmacology [antikvár]

Preface My principal justification for writing a book concerned with a single area of pharmacology is that my own teaching experience has taught me that autonomic pharmacology is often a topic which undergraduate students of medical science find confusing. At worst the subject may appear to consist of a seemingly endless list of drugs acting upon a variety of oddly-named receptor types and sub-types. The subject is not helped by a confusing and often illogical terminology which is compounded by some irritating differences between the terminology used in this country and that of the USA. My aims in this monograph have been to present the elements of the subject in what I hope is a simple style and using a consistent and logical terminology. I have tried to place each group of drugs into their respective historical contexts and to indicate how experimental pharmacology has led to the present level of understanding of drug action in man. Our detailed knowledge of the functioning of the peripheral autonomic nervous system has progressed rapidly in the last thirty years and this has been greatly aided by the use of both new and existing drugs. For instance, the classic experiments of J. H. Burn and M. J. Rand which began in the late 1950's, uncovered many new facts concerning noradrenergic neuronal function by the skilful use of reserpine, itself an ancient therapeutic agent, as a pharmacological tool. Conversely, new drugs modifying autonomic nerve function and introduced in the last twenty years or so have had profound consequences for the treatment of serious illnesses such as hypertension and asthma which afflict mankind. This book is intended primarily for undergraduate students of medical science and is broadly based on lecture courses I have delivered to students of Pharmacy and Medicine. I hope it will also be found useful to others such as post-graduate students who may wish to gain a grounding in what is a large and complex subject. For those who need to go deeper into any aspect of the subject I hope the references provided will at least serve as a useful starting point. I have included rather more information on