Essentials of Human Physiology for Pharmacy PDF

Preface

This textbook is designed to provide the fundamentals of human physiology to students of pharmacy and other health sciences. An important goal of this book is to enhance students' perceptions of the relevance of physiology to pharmacy practice. The book includes important concepts in physiology described in sufficient detail so that the student may integrate and understand these principles and then be able to apply them in subsequent coursework in pharmacology and therapeutics. Furthermore, this text contains frequent and specific references to pharmacotherapeutics and the practice of pharmacy designed to facilitate students' understanding of basic physiological concepts and their pertinence to their chosen profession.

The book begins with an overview of the fundamental aspects of cell membrane physiology with particular emphasis on nerve cell function. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the two major regulatory systems in the body: the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, pain, and autonomic nervous system; as well as the endocrine system. The book then continues with in-depth presentations of the muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and renal systems. An important focus throughout this textbook is how tissue and organ function is regulated in order to maintain homeostasis.

The intent of this book is to present the material in a manner as clear and concise as possible. Study objectives are provided at the beginning of each chapter to help students focus on important principles and mechanisms. Whenever possible, information is provided in the form of bulleted lists, tables, figures, or flow charts. Finally, subsections of pharmacy applications separate from the text serve to relate a given concept in physiology to the practice of pharmacy.