Definition and Scopes

The study of toxicology serves society in many ways, not only to protect humans and the environment from the deleterious effects of toxicants but also to facilitate the development of more selective toxicants such as anticancer and other clinical drugs and pesticides. 

A Textbook of Modern Toxicology, Third Edition, edited by Ernest Hodgson ISBN 0-471-26508-X Copyright 2004 John Wiley Sons, Inc. 

The importance of dose is well illustrated by metals that are essential in the diet but are toxic at higher doses. Thus iron, copper, magnesium, cobalt, manganese, and zinc can be present in the diet at too low a level (deficiency), at an appropriate level (maintenance), or at too high a level (toxic). The question of dose-response relationships is fundamental to toxicology (see Section 1.2). 

The definition of a poison, or toxicant, also involves a qualitative biological aspect because a compound, toxic to one species or genetic strain, may be relatively harmless to another. For example, carbon tetrachloride, a potent hepatotoxicant in many species, is relatively harmless to the chicken. Certain strains of rabbit can eat Belladonna with impunity while others cannot. Compounds may be toxic under some circumstances but not others or, perhaps, toxic in combination with another compound but nontoxic alone. The methylenedioxyphenyl insecticide synergists, such as piperonyl butoxide, are of low toxicity to both insects and mammals when administered alone but are, by virtue of their ability to inhibit xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, capable of causing dramatic increases in the toxicity of other compounds. 

Attempts to define the scope of toxicology, including that which follows, must take into account that the various subdisciplines are not mutually exclusive and are frequently interdependent. Due to overlapping of mechanisms as well as use and chemical classes of toxicants, clear division into subjects of equal extent or importance is not possible. 

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When the nucleus of the project team is assembled, its first order of business is to clarify the project and arrive at agreement among team members about the project s definition and scope, as well as the basic strategy for carrying it out. An orderly process can guide you through these steps. The following sequence of activities will get your project smoothly under way ... 

HIGH-THROUGHPUT EXPERIMENTATION AND COMBINATORIAL CATALYSIS — DEFINITION AND SCOPE... 

Smith, R. F., and H. T. Reynolds. Principles, definitions and scope of integrated pest control, pp. 11-17. In Proceedings of the FAO Symposium on Integrated Pest Control, 11-15 October 1965—Rome. Rome Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1966. 

Although variation among definitions and scope are to be expected, many companies will include some of the following elements ... 

Hodgson E, Smart RC. Biochemical toxicology definition and scope. In Hodgson E, Smart RC, eds. Introduction to Biochemical Toxicology. 2nd ed. New York Wiley, 2001. 

DEFINITION AND SCOPE, RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER SCIENCES, AND HISTORY 5... 

In the welcoming remarks, Boyd, speaking for both of us, discussed the demographics of the attendees and the scope of the conference vis-a-vis the definitions of computational chemistry. He pointed out that although numerous journals and books had been published that mentioned computational chemistry, few authors and editors had attempted to offer an explicit definition. The gist of Boyd s remarks about the definition and scope of computational chemistry was recorded and discussed further in the first volume of this book series. ... 

Gilman catalyst, 57-58 Grignard reaction definition and scope, 1-6 first reported. 2 initiation of. 9 effect of oxygen on. 10 effect of water oil. 10 iodine used for. 145-146 (.w aiw Gilman catalyst)... 

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