Pharmacology is concerned with the effect of chemicals on living tissues. Students studying pharmacology will, at the end of the course, understand:
* the sites and mechanisms of action of drugs;
* qualitative and quantitative aspects of drug interactions with living systems;
* the therapeutic applications of major drug groups used in medicine;
* other aspects of pharmacology and toxicology such as drug safety, drug evaluation, agricultural applications, environmental pollutants, and food additives.
The discipline
In 1995 pharmacology and toxicology for third-year students will be presented in two subjects, one in each semester, PHA3011 and PHA3022, equating to two times twelve points. To complete the forty-eight point total for third-year studies, these two subjects may be combined with subjects in other disciplines according to faculty regulations. Such studies frequently include any of the biological/medical disciplines, chemistry or law. The prerequisite for PHA3011 is normally an adequate performance in second-year physiology. It is advised that previous subjects should also include biochemistry or chemistry at second-year level.