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Introduction to Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the
branch of biology [Get your reader’s attention with a
concerned with the
study of drug great quote from the document or action ,where a drug
can be broadly use this space to emphasise a key defined as any man-
point. To place this text box
made, natural, or endogenous (from
anywhere on the page, just drag it.]
within the body) molecule which
exerts a biochemical or physiological
effect on the cell, tissue, organ, or organism (sometimes the word
pharmacon is used as a term to encompass these endogenous and
exogenous bioactive species). More specifically, it is the study of the
interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect
normal or abnormal biochemical function. If substances have medicinal
properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals.

The field encompasses drug composition and properties, synthesis

and drug design, molecular and cellular mechanisms, organ/systems
mechanisms, signal transduction/cellular communication, molecular
diagnostics, interactions, toxicology, chemical biology, therapy, and
medical applications and antipathogenic capabilities. The two main areas
of pharmacology are pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.
Pharmacodynamics studies the effects of a drug on biological systems, and
Pharmacokinetics studies the effects of biological systems on a drug.
 History of Pharmacology

Synthetic organic chemistry was born in 1828, when Friedrich

Wohler synthesized urea from inorganic substances and thus demolished the
vital force theory. The birth date of pharmacology is not as clear-cut. In the
early 19thcentury, physiologists performed many pharmacologic studies. Thus,
François Magendie studied the action of nux vomica (a strychnine-containing
plant drug) on dogs, and showed that the spinal cord was the site of its
convulsant action. His work was presented to the Paris Academy in
1809.In1842, Claude Bernard discovered that the arrow poison curare acts at
the neuromuscular junction to interrupt the stimulation of muscle by nerve
impulses.

Nevertheless, pharmacology is held to have emerged as a separate

science only when the first university chair was established. According to
Walter Sneader, this occurred in 1847, when Rudolf Buchheim was appointed
professor of pharmacology at the University of Dorpat in Estonia (then a part
of Russia). Lacking outside funding, Buchheim built a laboratory at his own
expense in the basement of his home. Although Buchheim is credited with
turning the purely descriptive and empirical study of medicines into an
experimental science, his reputation is overshadowed by that of his student,
Oswald Schmiedeberg.

Oswald Schmiedeberg (1838–1921) is generally recognized as the founder of

modern pharmacology. The son of a Latvian forester, Schmiedeberg obtained
his medical doctorate in 1866 with a thesis on the measurement of chloroform
in blood. He worked at Dorpat under Buchheim, succeeding him in 1869. In
1872, he became professor of pharmacology at the University of Strassburg,
receiving generous government support in the form of a magnificent institute
of pharmacology. He studied the pharmacology of chloroform and
chloralhydrate. In 1869, Schmiedeberg showed that muscarine evoked the
same effect on the heart as electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve. In 1878,
he published a classic text, Outline of Pharmacology, and in 1885, he
introduced urethane as a hypnotic.

In his 46 years at Strassburg, Schmiedeberg trained most of the men who

became professors at other German universities and in several foreign
countries. He was largely responsible for the preeminence of the German
pharmaceutical industry up to World War II.

In the United States, the first chair in pharmacology was established at the
University of Michigan in 1890 under John Jacob Abel, an American who had
trained under Schmiedeberg. In 1893, Abel went to Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore, where he had a long and brilliant career. His major
accomplishments include the isolation of epinephrine from adrenal gland
extracts (1897–1898), isolation of histamine from pituitary extract (1919), and
preparation of pure crystalline insulin (1926). His student Reid Hunt discovered
acetylcholine in adrenal extracts in 1906.

Today, there is a pharmacology department in every college of medicine

or pharmacy.
 Notable People of Pharmacology

1) Alexander Flemming

Contribution:
The discovery of penicillin

About:

Prior to his discovery of penicillin, Alexander Flemming already had a

reputation for excellence in medical and chemical research. He actively
researched potential drugs with antiseptic properties after watching many
soldiers die of sepsis due to infected wounds during World War 1.

However, his discovery of penicillin was completely accidental. When

discussing his find, Flemming stated, “When I woke up just after dawn on
September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionise all medicine by
discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer, but I suppose that was
exactly what I did.”

Penicillin is currently used to treat a wide number of ailments and is one of the
most popular drugs prescribed on the NHS.

Although Boots Pharmacy was initially started by Jesse’s father John

Boot, it was Jesse that turned the company into the global
phenomenon that it is today.

The initial Boot’s philosophy in 1877 was to provide “health for a

shilling”. making it affordable for those on a lower income. The
Nottingham store (the first Boots Pharmacy) was incredibly popular
among local residents. Goods were bought in bulk, at a much cheaper
price than the brand’s competitors and so could be sold at a
considerably lower price.

To date Boots Pharmacy is still a thriving business and is still

synonymous with quality products at competitive prices.

3) John Pemberton
Contribution: Created Coca-Cola

About: 

One of the most popular drinks to date, Coca-Cola was invented by

trained pharmacist John Pemberton in order to counteract his own
addiction to morphine. Initially the drink contained alcohol, kola nut
and damiana and was marketed as a ‘Pemberton’s French Wine Cola’.

However, by 1886 there were increasing concerns about the alcohol

content (but oddly, not the cocaine) within popular drinks such as
Coca-Cola. Pemberton then decided to experiment with other
ingredients such as base syrup and carbonated water.

4) Hubert Humphrey
Contribution: USA Vice President (1965 – 1968) 

About:

Of course, with a degree in Pharmacy the sky is your limit and one man
who proved this was American Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
Although he never quite made it to president, Humphrey not only held a
licence to practice pharmacy, but was also a political force to be reckoned
with.
Serving under Lyndon B Johnson Hubert Humphrey was known for
his scepticism over the Vietnam conflict in the late 1960s and his
desire for social reform. In 1968 he ran for Presidency and lost – by
less than 1% of the popular vote– to Robert Nixon.

  5) Friedrich Serturner
Contribution: Discovered Morphine

About:

As a pharmacist’s assistant, Friedrich Serturner was the first chemist

to separate morphium (morphine) from opium. In the 18th century
opium was a widely available and addictive drug (and as you may
have hears it wasn’t only popular for its medical properties).

Although his discovery was made in 1805, it wasn’t until after 1815
that morphine became widely available for use. It is due to Serturner’s
discovery and continuous research into the effects of morphine that
we are able to harness its pain relief qualities today.