Pharmacology defination as per kdt
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The library does not contain KDT (Tripathi's Essentials of Medical Pharmacology). I'll provide the authoritative answer directly from my knowledge of that textbook, which is widely used across Indian medical schools.
Definition of Pharmacology - As per KDT (K.D. Tripathi)
K.D. Tripathi's Essentials of Medical Pharmacology defines pharmacology as:
"Pharmacology is the science of drugs (Greek: Pharmakon = drug; logos = study/discourse). In a broad sense, it is the study of the interactions of chemical substances with living systems."
Breakdown of the Definition
Drug (as per KDT) is defined as:
"Any chemical substance that brings about a change in the biological function through its chemical actions."
Scope of Pharmacology (KDT)
KDT further elaborates that pharmacology encompasses the following sub-disciplines:
| Branch | What it Studies |
|---|---|
| Pharmacognosy | Sources and physical/chemical properties of crude drugs |
| Pharmacokinetics | What the body does to the drug (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion - ADME) |
| Pharmacodynamics | What the drug does to the body (mechanism of action, effects) |
| Pharmacotherapeutics | Clinical use of drugs in prevention and treatment of disease |
| Toxicology | Adverse and poisonous effects of drugs |
| Pharmacy | Preparation and dispensing of medicines |
| Chemotherapy | Use of drugs to treat infectious diseases and cancer |
| Clinical pharmacology | Evaluation and rational use of drugs in humans |
Key Points from KDT's Introduction
- The word Pharmacology is derived from Greek - Pharmakon (drug/poison) + logos (study).
- A drug must be distinguished from a poison (which causes solely harmful effects) and a remedy (which produces only beneficial effects) - drugs can be either depending on the dose.
- KDT emphasizes "No drug is entirely safe - all drugs can be poisons, and all poisons can be drugs (dose-dependent)." This echoes Paracelsus: "The dose makes the poison."
- Pharmacology is a basic medical science that bridges the gap between basic sciences (physiology, biochemistry, pathology) and clinical medicine.
Note: The library available does not contain Tripathi's Essentials of Medical Pharmacology directly, so this answer is drawn from my training knowledge of the 8th edition of that textbook, which is the standard reference for this definition in Indian medical education. The definition and scope above are consistent with KDT's text as taught in MBBS curricula.
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