DR I.

G
A PLUS ACADEMY
Session Objectives:
At the end of this session, YOU should be able to:
 Define pharmacology and its relevance to the medical
field;
 Define a drug and a medicine;
 Describe sources of drugs;
 Outline the evolution of pharmacology as a scientific
discipline;
 Outline the structural links of pharmacology to other
sciences;
 Appreciate the scope of pharmacology and its application
as a scientific discipline
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The Future is bright…..

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 What is Pharmacology?
From greek: ‘Pharmakon’ = drug or poison
‘logia’ = study of

The science concerned with the study of the interactions of

chemical substances (i.e. drugs) with biologic systems and
processes

i.e. scientific study of how drugs exert their effects on biological

systems

 Interactions  chemical processes e.g. binding to regulatory molecules and activating normal
physiological function or inhibiting pathological processes, etc

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 What is a drug?
A chemical substance of known structure, other than
a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which,
when administered to a living organism, produces a
biological effect. (Rang et al)

 Biological effect can be modification, moderation, alteration or restoration of

physiological process of cellular, tissue, organ or system
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Drug vs. Medicine

What is a medicine?

A chemical preparation, which usually but not

necessarily contains one or more drugs,
administered with the intention of producing a
therapeutic effect.

Medicines are formulated forms of the drug, usually contain other

substances (e.g. excipients, stabilisers, solvents, etc.) besides the active
drug, that make them more convenient to use.
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 Sources of Drugs
1) Natural:
Organic e.g. Plants, animals
Inorganic

2) Synthetic sources:
Chemistry
Luellmann, 2005
Biologic engineering
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 History & Development
of
Pharmacology

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The Genesis:
Antiquity era:
- herbal remedies
- apothecaries

• Materia medica: precursor of

pharmacology

2-Jan-23 Ebers papyrus, Egypt 9

Pen Tsao, China
The idea:

Claudius Galen (AD 129 – 200)

• Originator of experimental methods in medicine
• Philosophy and theoretical background to anatomy,
physiology, pathology and pharmacology

“The empiricists say that all

is found by experience. We, however,
maintain that it is found in part
by experience, in part by theory.
Neither experience nor theory
alone is apt to discover all.”
- Claudius Galen

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The impetus:
16th Century:
Theophrastus von Hohenheim ‘Paracelsus’ (1493–1541)
• Questioned doctrines handed
down from antiquity era;
• Rejected irrational concoctions
and mixtures of medieval medicine;
• Demanded knowledge
of active ingredient(s) in
prescribed remedies.

Axiom of pharmacology:
“If you want to explain any poison properly, what then is not a poison? All
things are poison, nothing is without poison; the dose alone causes a thing
not to be poison”. - Theophrastus von Hohenheim
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Early beginnings:
17th Century:
Johann Jakob Wepfer (1620–1695)
• Use of animal experimentation
verified pharmacological &
toxicological action

“I pondered at length. Finally I

resolved to clarify the matter by
experiments.”
- Johann Jakob Wepfer
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Foundations:
19th Century:
Rudolf Buchheim (1820–1879)
• Founded first institute of pharmacology (Tartu, Estonia,1847)
• Introduced pharmacology
as an independent scientific
discipline.

“The science of medicines is an

explanatory one. It is to provide
us with knowledge by which our
judgment about the utility of
medicines can be validated at
the bedside.” - Rudolf Buchheim
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Consolidation & Recognition:
19th – 20th Century:
Schmiedeberg, Virchow, Frazer, Langley, Ehrlich, etc (1838–1921)
• Helped establish high reputation
of pharmacology as scientific discipline;

• Postulated fundamental thories &

concepts e.g. Cell theory, SAR, receptor
theory, law of mass action & selective
toxicity;

• Schmiedeberg & Naunyn established

the first Journal of Pharmacology

• Receptor Theory (Langley, 1905): ‘Agents do

not act unless they are bound’ - Paul Ehrlich
(1908)

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Modern day (‘Era of Science Evolution’)
21st Century:
• Advanced pharmacological
laboratories;
• Pharmacological research
& drug discovery;
• Synthetic chemistry
• Detailed elucidation of
physiologic effects of drugs
• Pharmacogenomics &
Biotechnology
• Etc.
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 Development of Pharmacology
Antiquity Therapies
Herbal remedies, Magic portions

Chemistry Commerce
Natural Products, Apothecaries
Chemical Structure, SAR, Biomedical
Synthetic Chemistry Sciences
Physiology, Anatomy,
Biochemistry, Pathology
& Microbiology Pharmaceutical
Industry
Synthetic drugs

PHARMACOLOGY
Pharmaceutics
Genomics &
Biopharmaceutics
Therapeutics
2-Jan-23 Modified from Rang et al, 6th ed 16
 Modern Scope of Pharmacology
PSYCHOLOGY CLINICAL MEDICINE VETERINARY PHARMACY BIOTECHNOLOGY PATHOLOGY CHEMISTRY
THERAPEUTICS MEDICINE

Psycho- Clinical Veterinary Pharmaceutical Bio- Toxicology Medicinal

pharmacology pharmacology pharmacology sciences pharmaceuticals Chemistry

Pharmacokinetics & Biochemical

Pharmacodynamics pharmacology

PHARMACOLOGY
Molecular
pharmacology Systems Chemotherapy
pharmacology

Pharmacogenetics Pharmacogenomics Pharmacoepidemiology Pharmacoeconomics

GENETICS GENOMICS CLINICAL HEALTH

EPIDEMIOLOGY ECONOMICS
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Rang & Dale’s Pharmacology 6th ed.
 Pharmacology Specialties
Clinical Pharmacology Biochemical pharmacology
Neuropharmacology
Pharmocotherapeutics
Drug Discovery & Drug Development
Molecular pharmacology
Nuclear pharmacology
Psychopharmacology
Chemotherapy
Systems pharmacology
Immunopharmacology
Pharmacogenomics & Proteomics
Veterinary Pharmacology Quantitative Pharmacology

Ethnopharmacology Experimental Pharmacology

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 Enjoy the Course
&
Best wishes!!

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