The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) supplies all innervated structures of the body other than skeletal muscle, and its effects are therefore pervasive. The range of available ANS-active compounds can effectively modulate any or all body systems. The ANS-active agents include drugs used to treat a wide spectrum of conditions including hypertension, myocardial insufficiency, migraine, nasal congestion, obesity, Parkinson's disease, and glaucoma. Drugs from an array of therapeutic categories, including vasodilators, muscle relaxants, gastroprokinetics, and bronchodilators, can be classified as...

The discovery, in the 1930s and 1940s, of antibiotics revolutionized the practice of medicine. Beginning with the streptomycins and the penicillins, hundreds of antibiotics have been developed and have come into routine use for the management of infectious diseases, opportunistic infections and infections resulting from trauma. This cornucopia of anti-infective agents has created a number of problems, not the least of which is the organization of information concerning them.

This Handbook contains records for all the major drugs currently used in the treatment of infection....

The cardiovascular system serves to carry essential compounds to the tissues and to remove metabolic by-products. It also plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis, and functions directly or indirectly in the regulation of body temperature, oxygen supply, nutrient distribution, water and electrolyte balance, and endocrine activity. Consisting of a pump, connecting tubes, exchange membranes and blood, this system is governed by a diverse and complex array of regulatory mechanisms, encompassing central neural, autonomic, endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine control.

Drugs...