Grundlagen der Arzneimittelforschung und der synthetischen Arzneimittel. By .JAKOB BWHI. Hirlthbuser Verlag, Rase1 and Stuttgart, 1963. 734 pp. S\vies Frnnrs 96. ;~itiiough adecluate tehts :in11 refc:rrnw
Iiircilts
(.overing :11l
p1i:ises of the c,hemistry of tirugs Iiavt, Iieen av:d:itjle in Englisli.
no such ccinipendiuni has appeared in Gernian in recent ye:rrs. Professor 13~ciii,n.ho has just kieen reletmttd in E u r o p w n riictlichril journuls :is :in iiutst:inding niiidern ~~h:irriiaceutic~:il c,lirniist on that riintirient, has returned this c~iiiiiplirnent hy I\ riting :L large, learned, yet, verJ- rr:ttl:ilJle t m i k on the f n n t h riit~nt:tlsof tlie scienre of drugs. The seciintl p:trt r i f ' the t.itlr. involving synthetic, drugs, points t r i thcl older prtvictc.up:itirin lit" p1i:irni:iceuticaI c.heniicvil rese:irc,h :mtl cduca:ltion: the :ippIir:it i o n of organic cheniistry to tlie prepirzttion of medicinal agents. I3ut Prof. Huchi has talcen a signitirant step forxvard. He rercigiiiAes
that the synt,hesis and manufacture of drugs are activities
r i f cirganic chemistry tind nxtke such compounds :tvailaljle for
stiidy and therapy, but do not contribute in any way to t h e rinderstanding of drug :trtion; nor do they help in the ciinceeption oi n e w structures of potential riiedicinul interest. The present tllluk deviates, therefore, froin previous tests on drug chemistry: i t does not report or discuss synthetic methods by xhich drugs are prcyared hut is concerned with the discovery of drugs, with their properties and their n i i d c of :tc.ticin. The organically trained j~1i:irrn:iceiitic:~lchemist niay pout river this lack iif synthetic or tlc>gr:id:ttive chemicd inforni:itiiin, hut lie should realize that to tic :I riicdicin:il c,heniisl. 1 in(' 11:is t o lean tomxrds more than pur? 11rg:i riir, chemistry. This pionerring stc'p i n designing the 1)ooli is coiinterbalanced 11). thc. inrlusiiin of 43 p:iges on physical pharmary (pp. 239-247, 2%-321) ivhich has only a peripheral v d u e to drug design. Oii
