UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DEL CIBAO

Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades

Departamento de Lingüística Aplicada

INGLES III-MEDICINA
Docente: Nelson García De León, MPE-EIA
CLAVE: HUM 323-004 VERSION: 1 PAGINA 1 DE 4
GUIDE LESSON NO. 5

Lesson 3:
Introduction Concepts of Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the study of medicines and is a discipline devoted to patient therapy through the use of
drugs. In other words it is a discipline devoted to patient therapy by the use of drugs. In this lesson we will
go through the basic concept and field of Pharmacology and Pharmacy. There are some related terms
including drugs and therapeutics which are fields closely connected to Pharmacology. Understanding these
terms makes it clearer for us to understand this field of treatment, prevention and diagnosis of disease.

LESSON CONTENT
It is always essential to understand the meaning of a subject matter of interest to in order to
appreciate that particular field of study. The most convenient and fundamental thing to do is
define the core concepts. In line with this we define the following as;
PHARMACOLOGY
The science or study of drugs: their origin, preparations, properties, uses, actions and effects.
As such it includes indications, contra-indications, selective activity (activity whereby a drug
acts on a particular part of the body at a time for treatment)A school of thought refers to
Pharmacology as the study of how drugs modify biochemical, physiological and
psychological processes in health and disease. The study enables us study the interaction of
living cells and organisms with the drug molecules they encounter when we take in drugs. In
a nut shell, Pharmacology involves the study and description of the actions of drugs and
chemicals on cells, tissues and the whole body. It includes researching how drugs produce
beneficial and adverse effects, and improving the way drugs are tested to give greater benefit
in the treatment of disease.

PHARMACY:
 This is the art and/or science of preparing and dispensing drugs used for the
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
 It is also a shop/place for selling or compounding and dispensing drugs
 Pharmacy is also seen as a profesión
 More recently pharmacy has expanded to include medication review and drug
information.
DRUG:
A chemical substance, which has a selective activity or value in the treatment of a disease or
can affect living things/processes. In other words they are, biologically active compounds
given to humans or animals with the intention of changing the state of body functioning: to
relieve pain, treat conditions, eliminate infection or improve health in any way or to
investigate the functions of the body.

THERAPEUTICS:
Application of drugs in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a disease(s) or to alter a
normal body function (e.g. oral contraceptive) The area is at the core of the nursing
profession especially for maintaining health and sometimes longetivity. The main objective
of therapeutics is to provide maximum benefit of the drug and minimum harm to the
organism.

REFERENCES:

 Clinical Pharmacology for Nurses; John Trounce, Dinah Gould: Churchill Livingstone 1994.-

 Trounce's Clinical Pharmacology for Nurses; Ben Greenstein , Dinah Gould Churchhill Livingstone
1993.-