Pharmacology textbooks are often dull because of detailed presentation of volumes of information in a drab manner, 
making the subject even more volatile and distant 
for a neophyte! This textbook, however, deviates 
from the routine old-fashioned textbook of 
pharmacology, moving into the new spectrum 
of more ‘sellable pharmacology’ and is presented 
in a palatable style. The book describes recent 
advances in basic pharmacology and relates them 
to their application in practical therapeutics. It 

emphasises drug discovery, translational research, 
and evidence-based medicine. The style of narration 
and the format of the book are user friendly. The 
complete contents of the book are available online 
allowing free access to diagrams and other resource 
material. 

The book is presented in an integrated, disease-
oriented manner which makes it an attractive and 
innovative book to enhance learning about diseases 
and therapeutics, rather than stand alone drugs. 
This approach is in line with the learning needs of 
today’s medical students, clinical pharmacists and 
other medical and nursing professionals.

The book is divided into two parts: Principles 
and Practice. The first part has four sections 
comprising of twenty-one chapters dealing with 
the Pharmacotherapeutic Continuum, Molecular 
Pharmacology, Systems Pharmacology and Clinical 
Pharmacology. The second part is divided into 
sixteen main sections on therapeutics, and these 
sections are further subdivided into seventy-
three chapters dealing with different diseases. 
Chapters in this section include pathophysiology, 
epidemiology, therapeutics, clinical pharmacology 
and therapeutics, and emerging drug targets. The 
book also includes an interesting, though brief 
chapter on Sex Differences in Pharmacology.

The main strength of the book lies in the chapters 
dealing with the continuum of knowledge including 
basic concepts of drugs gradually presented with 
an increasing layer of complexity and integration 

علم األدوية واملداواة
من املبادىء إىل املمارسة

امل�ؤلف: �شك�ت والدمان، اأندريه تريزيك

book review

Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Principles to Practice 

Authors: Scott A. Waldman and Andre Terzic, MD, PhD.
Publisher: Saunders-Elsevier, An Expert Consult title, Online and print edition, 2009 

ISBN: 978-1-4160-3291-5
orders: www.elsevierhealth.com

SQU Med J, April 2010, Vol. 10, Iss. 1, pp. 148-149, Epub. 17th Apr 10
Submitted - 2nd Feb 10



Scott A. Waldman and Andre Terzic

Book Review | 149

with therapy. The pathophysiology and rationale of 
drug use are clearly explained so that the reader is 
prepared for a lifetime of prescribing and practice. 
Another striking feature of the book is the strategy 
of bulky text broken down by use of detailed 
diagrams. Hence, each chapter in the book is well 
illustrated with high quality coloured diagrams, 
comprehensive flowcharts, extensive summary 
tables and treatment algorithms. These make the 
book more attractive to the reader.

Although most chapters are exhaustively 
referenced, one of the limitations of the book lies 
in the use of older references. This is particularly 
evident in areas of therapeutics that are rapidly 
changing. An example is the section on Therapy 
of Infectious Diseases wherein the chapters on 
treatment of community acquired pneumonia and 
tuberculosis refer to American Thoracic Society 
guidelines from 2003, and the chapter on bacterial 
meningitis refers to Infectious Diseases Society of 

America guidelines from 2004. In addition, Chapter 
12 on the Pharmacobiology of Infection gives more 
weight to antiviral and antifungal drugs compared to 
antibacterial agents. This could give a novice reader 
of pharmacology the impression that the former are 
more commonly used drugs.

Overall this book is a useful addition to the 
rapidly emerging armamentarium of ‘new look’ 
pharmacology and therapeutics textbooks. I would 
definitely use both the text and the online versions 
and recommend them to others.

 
r e v i e w e r

Ragini Vaishnav
Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacy 
College of Medicine & Health Sciences 
SultanQaboos University 
Muscat, Oman 
Email: ragini@squ.edu.om