Basic Concepts in Pharmacology: A Student's Survival Guide [Paperback]

Janet L. Stringer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070631654 | ISBN-13: 978-0070631656 | Publication Date: January 15, 1996 | Edition: 1st

Designed for students, this text sheds light on the most elusive concepts in pharmacology. From drug absorption, mechanism of drug action through pharmacokinetics, each topic is reviewed in jargon-free language and progressively builds from simple to complex coverage. Abundant use of tables and charts further explicate the material. Students should find this book easy-to-read as they maximize their understanding of the difficult aspects of pharmacology.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A PROVEN METHOD FOR LEARNING THE MOST DIFFICULT-TO-UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS IN PHARMACOLOGY

*Organizes and condenses the drug information you must remember
*Simplifies the learning process by presenting drugs by class
*Describes exactly what you need to know about each drug class
*Reinforces key concepts and definitions
*Allows you to assess your individual competency level and study needs
*Includes numerous summary boxes, illustrations, and tables that highlight the most important information

FINALLY! A STUDY SYSTEM THAT SETS PRIORITIES, MINIMIZES MEMORIZATION, AND REDUCES STRESS!

If you like this study method, try these other titles in the McGraw-Hill BASIC CONCEPTS series.

Brown: BASIC CONCEPTS IN PATHOLOGY 0-07-008321-5 Clancy: BASIC CONCEPTS IN IMMUNOLOGY 0-07-011371-8 Sweeney: BASIC CONCEPTS IN EMBRYOLOGY 0-07-063308-8 McKenzie: BASIC CONCEPTS IN CELL BIOLOGY AND HISTOLOGY 0-07-036930-5 Gilbert: BASIC CONCEPTS IN BIOCHEMISTY, 2nd Edition 0-07-135657-6 Slaughter: BASIC CONCEPTS IN NEUROSCIENCE 0-07-136046-8 Seidel: BASIC CONCEPTS IN PHYSIOLOGY 0-07-135656-8 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Janet Stringer, MD - Baylor College of Medicine, Jewish Institute for Medical Research --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 303 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill (Tx); 1st edition (January 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070631654
• ISBN-13: 978-0070631656
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,008,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great source to get the "skinny" on pharmacology, August 27, 1999

By 

Carlos Martinez ([e-mail]) (Pomona, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Concepts in Pharmacology: A Student's Survival Guide (Paperback)

I have found this handy guide a great way to quickly get a grasp of lecture topics. It only takes minutes to understand the concepts, and saves valuable time by catagorizing the drug types for you. Stringer's style of writing in a conversation format is easy to read, enjoyable, and concise. In fact, I'm purchasing my own copy because it's too hard to find in the library anymore!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise but skimpy and out of date, October 28, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Basic Concepts in Pharmacology: A Student's Survival Guide (Paperback)

This is a very useful book for someone who needs a quick pharmacology review for the USMLE step 1 exam. It can be studied in its entirety within two days, but cementing all the information in long-term memory will require returning to it frequently during the course of study.

Stringer's casual student-oriented style helps put the nervous reader at ease and builds confidence while studying, a rarity in review books which are more likely on one of the two polar extremes of intimidating or condescending. The sheer mass of detail can be overwhelming in pharmacology as well, and Stringer is also very helpfully pragmatic in emphasizing which details are important for the student to learn the first time around, and which can be saved for a second pass through the material.

Pharmacology books become obsolete quickly, and, like most others, this one needs an update. For example, it covers only sulfonyl ureas, not even mentioning the three newer classes of diabetes drugs.

Stringer reminds the reader constantly that her book is not complete, and that it should be supplemented by other material, and she's right. At times its coverage is a bit skimpy, especially on side effects, and it has little discussion about recent trends in treatment options (e.g., that barbiturates are being phased out in favor of the less toxic benzodiazapines). Still it's an excellent starting point and emphasizes well what's most important versus what's less so.

One minor quibble is that the editing on this book needs to be tighter - there are quite a few grammatical errors, such as confusing the contraction "it's" with the possessive "its". But this is a minor quibble over a book that is an excellent starting point for reviewing pharmacology for the USMLE step 1.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good first read, October 17, 2004

By 

J. Sloan "sloan8638" (IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Basic Concepts in Pharmacology: A Student's Survival Guide (Paperback)

This book is great for the adrenergics and cholinergics. In other areas it is a good foundation, but you need to fill in the details. It gives good suggestions on name recognition - which is invaluable in pharm. It is worth the money, but you can't use it as your only source. It is an excellent building block though.