NEVER MISS AN OXFORD SALE (SIGN UP HERE) |   VIEW BASKET
 
 
Advanced Search
Need Help?

Drugs: A Very Short Introduction

Leslie Iversen

Price: £7.99 (paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-285431-5
Publication date: 23 August 2001
144 pages, 23 halftones & line illus, 174x111 mm
Series: Very Short Introductions
Search for titles in the same series
Ordering
Individual customers:
order by phone, post, or fax

Teachers in UK and European schools (and FE colleges in the UK):
order by phone, post, or fax


Lecturers:

Reviews
  • 'The chapters are easy to dip into, but the book as a whole reads well and is short enough to read cover to cover. . . The book is up to date' - Chemistry in Britain 01/03/2002
  • 'I found the text very informative . . . this book succeeds as a general introduction to drugs in medicine abd society, and should have wide appeal to both scientists and non-scientists. It is also good value for money.' - Chemistry in Britain 01/03/2002
  • 'illuminating' - TNT Magazine, 17/01/2001
  • 'a vade-mecum of drugs of all kinds, bursting with facts presented succintly in a user-friendly style that will make it a favourite reference for many people not otherwise versed in the sciences. Highly recommended.' - Gill Ewing, Nurturing Potential

Description
  • Covers both medicinal and recreational drugs
  • Discusses the history of drug use from ancient times
  • Explains the facts about how drugs work, including alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, as well as beta-blockers, antidepressants, and painkillers
  • Explains how therapeutic drugs are developed and tested, and how the drug industry works
  • Explores political, legal, medical, and social aspects of recreational drug-taking, and gives opinions about legalization of drugs such as cannabis
  • Leslie Iversen's previous books include The Science of Marijuana
The book gives a non-technical account of how drugs work in the body. The twentieth century saw a remarkable upsurge of research on drugs, with major advances in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections, heart disease, stomac ulcers, cancer, and metal illnesses. These, along with the introduction of the oral contraceptive, have altered all of our lives. There has also been an increase in the recreational use and abuse of drugs in the Western world. The book reviews both legal (alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine) and illegal drugs and disscusses current idea about why some are addictive, and whether drug laws need reform.

Contents
1. History
2. How drugs work
3. The medical uses of drugs
4. Recreational drugs
5. The making of a new medicine
6. How twentieth-century medicines have changed our lives, and prospects for the future
Further reading
1. History
2. How drugs work
3. The medical uses of drugs
4. Recreational drugs
5. The making of a new medicine
6. How twentieth-century medicines have changed our lives, and prospects for the future
Further reading

Authors, editors, and contributors


Leslie Iversen, Professor of Pharmacology, University of Oxford


Links to web resources and related information
Visit the VSI website


More in the same subject area:
Pharmacology
Medical laboratory testing & techniques
Medical research
Diseases & disorders
Biochemistry

The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.

 
Privacy Policy and Legal Notice
Content and Graphics copyright Oxford University Press, 2008. All rights reserved.