Chemical Education Today
Book & Media Reviews
edited by
Jeffrey Kovac University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-1600
Drugs and the Human Body: With Implications for Society, 6th Edition by Ken Liska Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2000. 498 pp. ISBN 0-13-040172-2. $55. reviewed by David J. A. Schedler
The 6th edition of this textbook has significant additions to previous versions. In addition to the revision and updating of topics, the author has included sections on issues related to women’s health, Web site listings for each chapter, and reallife case histories to illustrate important topics. A new chapter on drugs in sports complements the other chapters and completes an already thorough treatment. Certainly any text of this kind requires a look at the drugs used to enhance athletic performance, because of their increased visibility and use in society today. Liska has created a complete presentation of the production and use of drugs and their effects on society. As he states, “this book provides facts about drug sources, history, action in the body, side effects, interactions, tolerance, abuse potential, dosage, dependency, drug delivery systems, and alternatives to drugs in use today.” The completeness of the coverage is outdone only by the organization of presentation. Liska expertly orders the information to draw readers into the general topics and lead them into in-depth discussions in individual chapters. The flow of the presentation is ideal. Liska starts with a very general chapter that provides the foundation necessary to understand the rest of the book. This introduction includes definitions, concepts, theories, and laws that can be applied to drugs in general. Liska then discusses sources of drugs currently in use, both natural and synthetic. Next, federal laws applicable to these drugs and their use are outlined. Finally, he addresses the pharmacology of the classes of drugs that will be treated in more detail in subsequent chapters.
Subsequent chapters focus on individual classes of drugs. For example, there are chapters on the opiates, stimulants, and hallucinogens, to name just a few. Each chapter begins with an introduction to a class of drug, which is followed by a detailed discussion of its history from discovery to current uses. Well-presented statistical information reinforces the information on each drug class. Following these chapters is a discussion of personal drug testing and the new chapter on drugs in sports. Recognizing that some readers might have a background in science, Liska has included an appendix on structure-to-activity relationships (SARs) that gives a more advanced look at drug design. Ken Liska has written a great textbook that could be used to teach courses on drugs and society. Because of the level of presentation, it could be used in both science and social science courses with ease. Also, it serves as a reference and should be part of every academic library. The author’s pedagogical approach is evident. Each chapter begins with a list of key words and learning objectives, focusing the student immediately on the important terms and concepts that will be presented. A list of study questions to help reinforce and assess completion of the learning objectives is found at the end of each chapter. There are also lists of Web sites containing further information on the topics. Because of all of these aids, the book is comprehensible to a wide audience. This book is required reading for anyone with an interest in drugs and their uses in society today. The presentation is easily accessible to a nonscientific audience, yet is detailed enough for use by scientists. Because of the increased interest in wellness issues in society, the publication of this new edition is timely. David J. A. Schedler is in the Department of Chemistry, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL 35254;
[email protected].
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 79 No. 7 July 2002 • Journal of Chemical Education
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