Completely updated, the new edition of the Oxford Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology and Drug Therapy continues to provide medical students and clinicians with a unique insight into why drugs have their therapeutic effects, by presenting the basic pharmacological principles of pharmacology as they effect the patient. An understanding of these clinical pharmacological principles is essential for rational, safe, effective, and economical prescribing. The text shows how knowledge of the scientific basis of drug action is applied in a clinical context to devise the most effective treatments for disease and to maximise the therapeutic effects of the drugs being used.This new edition includes an appraisal of the value of evidence-based medicine and a greater discussion of issues in genetics. There are specialist contributors for areas of infectious disease, gastro-intestinal disorders, blood disorders, general anaesthesia, cancer chemotherapy and immunosuppression. The revision also includes updates to both the pharmacopoeia and the drug therapy section to reflect new developments in both available drugs and in their use. In particular, areas of cardiovascular disease and stomach ulcer have been substantially changed.Aimed primarily at medical students, this book will also continue to be an invaluable source of information for trainees and clinicians.The book is in four sections which provide:-A detailed account of the principles of clinicians pharmacology, including adverse effects and drug interactions; pharmacogenetics; clinical trials; the discovery, development and marketing of drugs; drug treatment in the old and the young; and the use of drugs in relation to prenancy and other aspects of reproduction.-Advice on practical matters of drug prescribing, both in a separate section and at appropriate points throughout the book.-Detailed descriptions of the practical management of diseases with drugs, emphasizing the integration of principls with practice.-A ready-reference pharmacopoeia of over 300 commonly used drugs, describing their uses, modes of action, pharmacokinetic properties, adverse effects, and interactions, with details of rational dosage regimens.