Biology 315			Pharmacology			Fall 1996
Instructor:  Dr. Mark A. Gallo
Phone:  286-8247		Email:  MGALLO@NIAGARA.EDU

Lecture:  Tues., Thurs., 12:40 - 2:00 pm
Room:  135 DePaul


Text:  Human Pharmacology (Brody et al. 2nd Ed. 1994)



Course Description and Objectives.

	This course is designed as an introduction to the field of Pharmacology, the study of
      the interaction of chemicals with living organisms.  Pharmacology encompasses the 
      disciplines of organic chemistry, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, and molecular
      biology.  Although it is not necessary to be proficient in all of these areas, 
      students should have successfully completed introductory Biology courses (such as 
      Bio 101 or Bio 121) before taking this course.  This course will not be a clinical 
      presentation of the material; we will never discuss the recommended dose of a drug 
      for a patient.

	Pharmacology involves the study of drug action at several levels: whole body, organ, 
      tissue, cell, and molecular.  Historically, humans have used drugs for spiritual, 
      social, or medical reasons.  For thousands of years drugs were highly impure mixtures
      or extracts from plants, animals, fungi, or bacteria.  Today, many millions of 
      prescriptions are written every year for therapeutic purposes.  A larger market of 
      non-prescription drugs is available to the consumer, and although labeled safe, still
      have a powerful effect on our bodies.  We will attempt to understand the intricacies 
      of the categories of drugs, and discuss the factors that are used to assess the 
      safety and efficacy of a drug.

	The course will be a survey of drug action on certain systems (for instance, the 
      central nervous system.).  Classical analyses of disease states and effective drugs 
      for their treatment will be covered.  Due to the explosion of information on the 
      molecular action of biomolecules, a portion of the course will be devoted to 
      discussions on the three-dimensional structure of proteins and small molecules.  Much 
      of this information is best obtained via the World Wide Web on a graphical viewer such
      as Netscape.  There will be an occasional trip to the computer facilities to view such
      information.




Notes on Course grading.

	Class attendance is monitored; although there will be no penalty for missing class, 
      don't do it.  There will be four in-class exams and one final exam (each worth 100 
      points) for a total of 500 points.  Each student will also be responsible for one 
      oral presentation, worth up to 50 bonus points.  Exams are not to be missed.  If you 
      are unable to attend an exam at its regularly-scheduled time, contact me and take it 
      early.  In the event that you miss an exam, an oral make-up exam will be scheduled.