Casarett & Doull's Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons [Paperback]

Curtis D. Klaassen (Author, Editor), John B. Watkins (Author, Editor), Louis J. Casarett (Editor), John Doull (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070349630 | ISBN-13: 978-0070349636 | Publication Date: September 17, 1998 | Edition: 5 Sub

This newest addition to the Companion Handbook Series is perfect for the toxicologist or pharmacy student who requires a brief introduction to the fundamental principles of toxicology but does not have immediate access to the textbook, nor the time for consultation. Fully page referenced to the classic text in the field, concepts are organized and presented in a logical progression from general principles to specific topics such as organ system toxicology, specific agent toxicology, and environmental toxicology. Where possible the information is summarized in tables or presented in outline format.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"New figures and more focused highlights through the use of color makes this an exciting and almost fun-to-read text. "Once again this tome plowed new ground and sown it with authoritative, comprehensive, and well written compilation of what toxicology's all about and how it affects our world and its inhabitants." (Veterinary Human Toxicology )

"This book is now an established classic in the field of toxicology. In the time between the fifth and sixth edition, there have been significant advances in research that warrant this edition. When it comes to completeness, there really is no comparable book on the market. " (Doody's ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Curtis D. Klaassen, Ph.D., is Professor of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics at the Unviersity of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill (Tx); 5 Sub edition (September 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070349630
• ISBN-13: 978-0070349636
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,243,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 7th Edition, Essential if Flawed, January 1, 2008

By 

W. David McGuinn Jr. (Columbia, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Casarett & Doull's Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons, Seventh Edition (Casarett & Doull Toxicology) (Hardcover)

This is a book by and for professional toxicologists. Folks in the field have long regarded it as the standard. It is the primary text for most graduate programs in toxicology around the world. I own editions 2, 4 and now 7. Despite some of the rather uninformed reviews below, it does keep getting better with each subsequent edition. And note the dates on some of the other reviews, they refer to earlier editions. Number 7 just came out in November.

I cannot compare the 7th edition to number 6 but I can say that relative to number 4 the introductory chapters are much improved. The first three chapters provide a solid overview of the History of Toxicology, Principles of Toxicology and Mechanisms in Toxicology. The only thing missing here is a chapter similar to Shan Gad's excellent treatise on Statistics in Toxicology found in A. W. Hayes' "Principles and Methods of Toxicology" (which you should also own). Andrew Parkinson's chapter, Biotransformation of Xenobiotics, is by itself worth the purchase price, and the chapter on Toxicokinetics is one of the best short discussions of this subject I have seen. The book then has chapters on Chemical Carcinogenesis, Developmental Toxicology and toxicology related to various organ systems. As with any large text written by a group of experts in a particular field these chapters are variable in quality and sometimes tend to emphasize the research interests of the individuals writing the chapter. I found the chapter on hepatic toxicology terse and inadequate considering the importance of this organ system. The chapters on pulmonary and renal toxicology are stronger. With the exception of the chapter on metals, the other chapters on Toxic Agents are far from comprehensive. The topics of animal venoms, plant toxins, radiation and pesticides really require books of their own but the treatment here is adequate for the entry-level graduate student. The chapter on Regulatory Toxicology is most informative if about as exciting as watching paint peel.

The book does contain a very few factual errors, but this is not surprising in a book this size written by so many people. It does not make the book any less valuable for the toxicologist. It would be next to impossible for Dr. Klaassen to police completely such a massive text. That said, the editing (and certainly the printing) has not yet approached the level of sophistication found in such texts as Goodman and Gilman or Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. The book still cries for greater internal consistency and the imposition of standards that lead the individual chapter authors away from their personal interests (I had an advisor once that taught four lectures to medical students on cyanide, he was the expert) and more toward general principles and practice. There is also a glaring lack of information about the now not so new advances in molecular toxicology; some of the authors need a few new arrows in their quivers. But, the single worst fault of the book is the index or serious brevity there of. For example, the chapter on ocular toxicology describes the classic Draize test over nearly two pages yet the word Draize is nowhere to be found in the index. It lists very few chemicals. This lack of a comprehensive index seriously limits the usefulness of the book as a reference. You already have to know a lot of toxicology to find what you are looking for in the text.

If you aspire to be a toxicologist (and you should), buy this book. If you desire to become a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (and you should), buy this book - many of the exam questions come directly from it. Once you really know enough to understand its flaws you will probably be a toxicologist.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you can only buy 1 toxicology reference, make it this one, August 24, 2004

By 

R. Cattolica "PhD student" (CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Casarett & Doull's Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons, 6th Edition (Hardcover)

I found this to be an outstanding and thorough treatment of the entire gamut of toxicology. The book is well organized, with a very logical sequence of chapters. Each chapter is authored by recognized experts in the various subspecialties of toxicology, such as neurotoxicology. The principles and model systems of each specialty are discussed in detail. This text contains no fluff. I recommend it for graduate level students and above, though ambitious undergraduates may find it useful as well. My only suggestions for improvement would be updated figures and a glossary of terms. I sometimes found that authors of the earlier chapters would use terms which were not defined until later chapters. Overall, this is an excellent reference--well worth the price.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very complete book about biomedical/environmental tox, February 19, 2004

By 

Mike_brazil "Michael" (Rockville, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Casarett & Doull's Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons, 6th Edition (Hardcover)

Mr. Klassen did a very good job with the sixth edition of the classical Casarett and Doull`s. This is not a book for people scared of details, complex subjects and very long chapters. The book is not what I would call an easy read but I don't think that it should be anyway. Chapters cover diverse topics in a very complete manner, and as another reviewer said this is a book intended for advanced undergraduate courses or graduate toxicology courses. Only buy this book (which by the way is pretty expensive) if you intend to do research or work directly with toxicology. One final note, this is not a book oriented for the clinical setting. If you are a MD or health professional intending to use a book in the toxicological ER you should buy Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies (which is a great book by the way).