Amazon.com description: Product Description: This encyclopedic work has been thoroughly updated and revised. It demonstrates 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 maximize the therapeutic effect of the drugs being used. Divided into four sections, this text provides detailed accounts of the principles of clinical pharmacology and advice on practical matters of drug prescribing. It also presents full descriptions of the practical management of diseases with drugs, emphasizing the integration of principles with practice. A ready-reference pharmacopoeia of over 300 commonly used drugs is included. The easy-to-use format of the first edition has been improved with a clearer layout and attractively redrawn figures. The basic science has been thoroughly updated and rigorously edited to remove any theoretical discussion which is not essential to understanding the therapeutic process. The sections on reproduction, pregnancy, and labor have been expanded and updated as well. To ensure that the book reflects the very best of modern clinical practice in these disciplines, clinical specialists have been involved in the revisions of the therapeutic chapters in Section Three. The Oxford Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology and Drug Therapy is ideally suited to the needs of medical students taking courses in clinical pharmacology, students of pharmacy and applied pharmacology, and nurses in training. It will also provide an invaluable reference for residents and newly qualified physicians.