See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/25539162

Fundamental Toxicology

Article  in  The Clinical biochemist. Reviews / Australian Association of Clinical Biochemists · November 2006
Source: PubMed Central

CITATIONS READS

0 307

1 author:

Kenneth F Ilett
University of Western Australia
346 PUBLICATIONS   10,061 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

A comparative study of cefixime and ofloxacin for the treatment of uncomplicated Typhoid fever in Vietnamese children View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Kenneth F Ilett on 15 May 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Book Review

Fundamental Toxicology
Duffus JH, Worth HGJ, editors. RSC Publishing, Cambridge; 2006

Kenneth F Ilett
Clinical Pharmacology and Toxiciology Laboratory, Nedlands, WA 6009 Australia
For correspondence: Dr KF Ilett e-mail: Ken.Ilett@uwa.edu.au

This is a very comprehensive text from The Royal Society of Chemistry publishers and aimed at the undergraduate student.
There are 25 chapters on subjects such as basic toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics, risk assessment and management of toxins
in humans, monitoring of biomarkers, genetic aspects of toxicology and carcinogenesis, toxicology of compounds in the
reproductive, integumentary, nervous and immune systems, in organs such as the lung, liver, and kidney, and effects of toxins on
behaviour. Other chapters cover environmental contaminants, radionuclides, biocides and pesticides, pharmaceutical toxicology
and safe handling of chemicals in the laboratory. It is an excellent text for the undergraduate, or for the graduate who needs to
gain a broad understanding of toxicology as a discipline.

The only chapter that has direct interest to the practising clinical biochemist would be “Toxicology in the clinical laboratory”,
authored by RA Braithwaite. This contains a comprehensive discussion of appropriate specimen collection, choice of laboratory
measurement techniques, and use of both simple biochemical measurements (eg acid base balance, sodium and water, plasma
osmolality and osmolar gaps, calcium etc) and more specific testing for drug substances of clinical or medico-legal interest (eg
alcohols, glycols, amphetamines, cannabis, CO, pesticides, cocaine, cyanides, metals, common therapeutic drugs, etc). My
only criticism of this otherwise excellent chapter is that it lacks a thoughtful discussion of when specific testing is appropriate in
management of the poisoned patient.

Competing Interests: None declared.

Clin Biochem Rev Vol 27 November 2006 I 191

View publication stats