"There are no really 'safe' biologically active drugs. There are only 'safe'
physicians."
Harold A. Kaminetzky, 1923- . Obstetrics and Gynecology 1963;21:512.
"We are a bitters-and-pill-taking people."
John Shaw Billings, 1838-1913.
Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 1891;124:349
See also Dr. Paul Cuddy's presentation "Evaluating Literature Actively" to learn how to understand and evaluate drug studies in medical journals.
Most pharmacology books are shelved in the QV section of the library.
There are many reference books available that will identify drugs and pharmaceuticals
from many countries, their chemical properties,
their administration and dosage, drug interactions and side effects, pictorial
identification charts, directories of pharmaceutical companies and poison control
centers,etc. Be sure to ask your librarian if you don't find what you want.
Remember also the Drug Information Center in the UMKC School
of Medicine.
Reference and Reserve books include (but are not limited to!):
- Ref QV738.FA1M3e Martindale: The Extra Pharmacopoeia (good for non-US drugs)
- Ref QV740.AA1A5132 AHFS Drug Information (excellent, comprehensive)
- Ref QV740.AA1.P54 Advice for the Patient: Drug Information in Lay Language
- Ref QV740.AA1U12 USAN and the USP Dictionary of Drug Names (indexes trade and generic names)
- Ref QV744.C732 Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry (multivolume set)
- Ref QV772.F1422 Drug Facts and Comparisons
- Ref QV772.M555 The Merck Index (old standby)
- Ref QV772.P58 PhysiciansGenRx (comprehensive, includes FDA approval years,
and Top 100 Drugs in Keyword Index)
- Res QV4.G653p Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (THE textbook)
- Res QV600.T7545 Goldfrank's Toxicological Emergencies
- Res QV772.P579 Physician's Desk Reference (PDR; contains product inserts for drugs)
If you don't find what you need, visit (or call or email) your librarian. Remember to ask the librarian also about the Substance Abuse Treatment collection.
Pharmacology journals are indexed in MEDLINE (and in IPA and TOXNET,etc.), and are
shelved alphabetically by title in the Health Sciences Library.
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MEDLINE
Medline is an index of clinical medical journal literature from 1966 to the present;
currently about 3500 journals in 70 languages are indexed. The entire D tree is devoted to chemicals and drugs.
Medline Search Hint
Search MEDLINE by the generic drug name, not the trade name. To search literature
published throughout the life of a drug, build a hedge that includes all known names,
registry numbers, CAS numbers, etc. Many useful subheadings can be attached to a drug
name, such as "antagonists and inhibitors," "chemical synthesis," "chemistry,"
"contraindications," etc. To search adverse effects of drugs thoroughly, use the
subheadings "adverse effects," "poisoning," and "toxicity." There is a subheading
"administration and dosage" but remember there are also MeSH terms for drug
administration routes. Remember that the subheadings "chemically induced" and
"drug therapy" can be attached to MeSH terms for diseases, and "drug effects" can
be attached to MeSH terms for organisms, organs, and physiological or psychological
processes. There are MeSH terms for drug interactions, drug eruptions, drug
resistance, etc. MeSH Supplementary Chemical Records identifies many drugs
and chemicals that do not have unique MeSH terms, and maps them to the appropriate
MeSH while also listing synonyms and Registry Numbers.
See the Medline Search Tools or consult your librarian for further information.
For an introduction to Medline search skills, see the Medline Searching Instruction Guide or consult your librarian.
EMBASE
Abstracts and citations to international literature on drugs, pharmacology, and human medicine,
including European and Asian journals not cited in MEDLINE.
International Pharmaceutical Abstracts
Information on all phases of the development and use of drugs and on professional pharmaceutical practice.
TOXNET
Toxnet databases available through the National Library of Medicine include:
CCRIS Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information System
DART Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology
EMIC Environmental Mutagen Information Center
GENE-TOX
HSDB Hazardous Substances Data Bank
IRIS Integrated Risk Information System
RTECS Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances
TRI Toxic Chemical Release Inventory
Return to the top of this page.
Remember that slides, CD-ROM images, and other visual information are
available in the Medical Education Media Center. See also the University of Missouri-Kansas City Image Bank.
- PharmWeb--comprehensive resources for health professionals and patients
- CenterWatch--clinical trials listing service
- Pharmacotherapeutics--ranked, peer-reviewed, annotated Internet resources from Medical Matrix
- Basic Booklist for Pharmacy Education
- Virtual Pharmacy Center--pharmacy, pharmacology, clinical pharmacology, and toxicology
- Yahoo: Pharmacology --see also Yahoo: Drugs
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration--human drugs, animal drugs, food, cosmetics, medical devices, and more
- World List of Schools of Pharmacy
- Virtual Library: Pharmacy--a meta-index of pharmacy resources
- UMKC School of Medicine Pharmacology Study Questions
- Top 200 Prescriptions
- Canadian Drug Directorate
- Iowa Drug Information Services
http://research.med.umkc.edu/teams/cml/Druglit.html updated 3/97 by pfannenstiel@cctr.umkc.edu
Books
Journals
Databases
Images
Internet Resources - World Wide Web