A sentence by the original authors in their 1940 preface still describes the 11th edition: “This book has also been written for the practicing physician, to whom it offers an opportunity to keep abreast of recent advances in therapeutics and to acquire the basic principles necessary for the rational use of drugs in his/her daily practice.” The books 65 chapters are grouped into 15 sections: General Principles, Drugs Acting at Synaptic and Neuroeffector Junctional Sites, Drugs Acting on the Central Nervous System, Drug Therapy of Inflammation, Drugs Affecting Renal and Cardiovascular Function…Chemotherapy of Microbial Diseases, Chemotherapy of Neoplastic Diseases…Hormones and Hormone Antagonists, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Toxicology, plus two appendices on prescription writing and patient compliance, and on the design of dosage regimens.

Reading the sections on general principles reminds one that, with the notable exception of antimicrobial and antiparasitic therapy, pharmacology is the science of altering human physiology by chemical means. The well-written chapter on treating hypertension illustrates this concept nicely; it is a pleasure to read and a vast improvement over the PDR or drug company ads. So too is the chapter on principles of antimicrobial therapy. Given the large number of authors, some chapters are easier to read than others, but none can be faulted for lack of well-organized and referenced information. Comparison of the current edition with the fifth edition of only 30 years ago provides an interesting insight into changing times. Then, the great Louis Weinstein personally wrote all the chapters on antimicrobial agents. In the current edition, five experienced and specialized physicians are required for that task.

Even so, a book this size is not the end-all of pharmacology. Some uncommon drugs or drug uses are not described; fortunately, references are provided to information in earlier volumes about some once-major drugs no longer available in the US: eg, emetine, which has uses, though no market, far beyond its amebicical activity. Unusual uses of medications are noted, eg, cimetidine as a treatment for warts because of its immunostimulant effects. At the other extreme, one imagines the current avian influenza threat will generate great interest in the section on anti-influenza agents. Surprisingly, immunizing agents are barely mentioned in the total of three pages. The ever-increasing complexities of HIV treatment are covered in an understandable fashion.

Appendix 1 deals with prescription writing, the potential for errors in drug orders, and patient compliance. The book closes with nearly 100 pages of tabular pharmacokinetic data providing nicely organized data on oral bioavailability, excretion, volume of distribution, half-life, and other information that is occasionally needed but not usually difficult to locate for commonly prescribed medications.

While GoodmanandGilman is no quick-read, it is surprisingly clearly written, logical and interesting. It is also an awesome realization to see how much one never knew, added to what one knew but forgot. Nevertheless, the logical, step-wise organization of The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics provides a much greater sense of confidence in ones ability for self-development than do drug company ads or their frequently underwritten large clinical trials for me-too drugs. I once knew an older physician in Baltimore who said he read ten pages every night from the then-current second edition. While this was easier to do with earlier versions, the task is still not inconceivable.

Reviewed by Vincent J Felitti, MD of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group.

"The 11th edition of Goodman & Gilman continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative single source on the pharmacology of drugs. The first edition was published by Alfred Gilman and Louis Goodman in 1941. It soon became known as the bible of pharmacology and, even though editorship and chapter authorships have changed continuously from edition to edition, this remains the gold standard of pharmacology textbooks....The print version should be on the reference shelf and the digital version on the computer desktop of all practicing pharmacologists, pharmacists, and physicians."--"Doody's Review Service"

Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine

University of California, San Diego

Laurence Brunton trained under Alfred Goodman-Gilman and is nationally recognized for his expertise in cell signaling and cardivacular pharmacology. He has published more than 200 original research papers. John S. Lazo, PhD

Professor and Chairman

Department of Pharmacology

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Under John Lazo's leadership as Chairman, the Department of Pharmacology is regarded as one of the leading academic programs in the United States. He has published extensively in the field of cancer pharmacology. Keith Parker, MD, PhD

Professor of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology

Division of Endocrinology

Department of Internal Medicine

University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine

SECTION I: GENERAL PRINCIPLES

1. Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics

2. Drug Transport/Drug Transporters

3. Drug Metabolism

4. Pharmacogenomics

5. Principles of Therapeutics

SECTION II: DRUGS ACTING AT SYNAPTIC AND NEUROEFFECTOR JUNCTIONAL SITES

6. Neurotransmission: The Autonomic and Somatic Motor Nervous Systems

7. Muscarinic Receptor Agonists and Antagonists

8. Anticholinesterase Agents

9. Agents Acting at the Neuromuscular Junction and Autonomic Ganglia

10. Catecholamines, Sympathomimetic Drugs, and Adrenergic Receptor Antagonists

11. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (Serotonin) Receptor Agonists and Antagonists

SECTION III: DRUGS ACTING ON THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

12. Neurotransmission and the Central Nervous System

13. History and Principles of Anesthesiology; General Anesthetics

14. Local Anesthetics

15. The Therapeutic Gases: Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Nitric Oxide, and Helium

16. Hypnotics and Sedatives

17. Introduction to Psychopharmacology: Drug Therapy of Depression and Anxiety Disorders

18. Pharmacotherapy of Psychosis and Mania

19. Drugs Effective in the Therapy of the Epilepsies

20. Treatment of Central Nervous System Degenerative Disorders

21. Opioid Analgesics

22. Ethanol

23. Drug Addiction and Drug Abuse

SECTION IV: AUTACOIDS: DRUG THERAPY OF INFLAMMATION

Introduction

24. Histamine, Bradykinin, and Their Antagonists

25. Lipid-Derived Autacoids: Eicosanoids and Platelet-Activating Factor

26. Analgesic-Antipyretic and Antiinflammatory Agents and Drugs Employed in the Treatment of Gout

27. Drugs Used in the Treatment of Asthma

SECTION V: DRUGS AFFECTING RENAL AND CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION

28. Diuretics

29. Vasopressin and Other Agents Affecting the Renal Conservation of Water

30. Renin and Angiotensin

31. Drugs Used for the Treatment of Myocardial Ischemia

32. Antihypertensive Agents and the Drug Therapy of Hypertension

33. Pharmacological Treatment of Heart Failure

34. Antiarrhythmic Drugs

35. Drug Therapy for Hypercholesterolemia and Dyslipidemia

SECTION VI: DRUGS AFFECTING GASTROINTESTINAL FUNCTION

36. Agents Used for Control of Gastric Acidity and Treatment of Peptic Ulcers and Gastroesopheageal Reflux Disease

37. Prokinetic Agents, Antiemetics, and Agents Used in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

38. Agents Used of Diarrhea, Constipation, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Agents Used for Biliary and Pancreatic Disease

SECTION VII: CHEMOTHERAPY OF PARASITIC INFECTIONS

39. Drugs Used in the Chemotherapy of Protozoal Infections: Malaria

40. Drugs Used in the Chemotherapy of Protozoal Infections: Amebiasis, Giardiasis, Trichomoniasis, Trypanosomiasis, Leishmaniasis, and Other Protozoal Infections

41. Drugs Used in the Chemotherapy of Helminthiasis

SECTION VIII: CHEMOTHERAPY OF MICROBIAL DISEASES

42. Antimicrobial Agents: General Considerations

43. Antimicrobial Agents (Continued): Sulfonamides, Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole, Quinolones, and Agents for Urinary Tract Infections

44. Antimicrobial Agents: Penicillins, Cephalosporins, and Other b-Lactam Antibiotics

45. Antimicrobial Agents: The Aminoglycosides

46. Antimicrobial Agents: Protein-Synthesis Inhibitors and Miscellaneous Antibacterial Agents

47. Antimicrobial Agents (Continued): Drugs Used in the Chemotherapy of Tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium Complex Disease, and Leprosy

48. Antimicrobial Agents: Antifungal Agents

49. Antimicrobial Agents: Antiviral Agents (Nonretroviral)

50. Antimicrobial Agents: Antiretroviral Agents

SECTION IX: CHEMOTHERAPY OF NEOPLASTIC DISEASES

Introduction

51. Antineoplastic Agents

SECTION X: DRUGS USED FOR IMMUNOMODULATION

52. Imunomodulators: Immunosuppressive Agents, Tolerogens, and Immunostimulants

SECTION XI: DRUGS ACTING ON THE BLOOD AND THE BLOOD-FORMING ORGANS

53. Hematopoietic Agents: Growth Factors, Minerals, and Vitamins

54. Blood Coagulation and Anticoagulant, Thrombolytic, and Antiplatelet Drugs

SECTION XII: HORMONES AND HORMONE ANTAGONISTS

55. Pituitary Hormones and Their Hypothalamic Releasing Factors

56. Thyroid and Antithyroid Drugs

57. Estrogens and Progestins

58. Androgens

59. Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Adrenocortical Steroids and Their Synthetic Analogs; Inhibitors of the Synthesis and Actions of Adrenocortical Hormones

60. Insulin, Oral Hypoglycemic Agents, and the Pharmacology of the Endocrine Pancreas

61. Agents Affecting Calcification and Bone Turnover: Calcium, Phosphate, Parathyroid Hormone, Vitamin D, Calcitonin, and Other Compounds

SECTION XIII: DERMATOLOGY

62. Dermatological Pharmacology

SECTION XIV: OPHTHALMOLOGY

63. Ocular Pharmacology

SECTION XV: TOXICOLOGY

64. Principles of Toxicology; Treatment of Poisoning

65. Poisoning; Heavy Metals and Heavy-Metal Antagonists

APPENDICES

I. Principles of Prescription Order Writing and Patient Compliance

II. Design and Optimization of Dosage Regimens; Pharmacokinetic Data