2 VETERINARY MATERIA MEDICA. 



Pharmacodynamics is a treatise on the physio- 

 logical action of drugs^i.e., the modifying power of 

 drugs upon the normal physiological activity of the 

 animal organism ; while 



Toxicology tells us what would be the efifects of 

 drugs if given in poisonous doses. This also embraces 

 the study of drug antagonists and chemical antidotes. 



Therapeutics is that branch of medical science 

 which considers the application of remedies as a 

 means of cure and alleviation of disease. It includes 

 the discussion of all matters relating to the science 

 and art of healing. 



The general term, Therapeutics, includes all the 

 operations of nature, actions of drugs, food, clothing, 

 heat and cold, electricity, etc., and is divided into 



Natural Therapeutics and Applied Thera- 

 peutics. 



Natural Therapeutics includes all the processes of 

 nature to heal and alleviate disease independently of 

 art. 



Applied Therapeutics embraces the application by 

 art of various agents, foreign to the living organism, 

 to restore the organism to its normal state. 



Drugs are material agents of every kind em- 

 ployed in the treatment of disease. This term was 

 formerly applied only to vegetable medicaments in 

 their original form. 



A Pharmacopoeia is an official list of drugs and 

 their preparations, recognized by the medical profes- 



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