What is Pharmacology?
'''Pharmacology''' is the study of how medicine and other things have an effect on living [[organism]]s and change how they function. Pharmacology could also be defined as the study of how medicine actually works. The first pharmacology department in the world was set up in the [[University of Tartu]] by [[Rudolf Buchheim]] in 1847. <ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Rang HP | title = The receptor concept: pharmacology's big idea | journal = British Journal of Pharmacology | volume = 147 Suppl 1 | issue = S1 | pages = S9-16 | date = January 2006 | pmid = 16402126 | pmc = 1760743 | doi = 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706457 }}</ref> Pharmacology is not exactly the same as [[pharmacy]], and a pharmacologist is not exactly the same as a [[pharmacist]]. A pharmacologist is a scientist who studies how medicine actually works, and usually works in a science lab. A pharmacist is a health care provider who usually works at a pharmacy. However, there is quite a bit of overlap between these two fields. A pharmacist could be considered a type of pharmacologist. Pharmacists do take many classes in pharmacology. If something can be used as a [[medicine]], it is called a pharmaceutical. Pharmacology includes how drugs are made, how they interact with living [[organism]]s, what [[harm]]ful effects they could have, how they can be used as [[Medicine|medicines]], and if they can be used to prevent illness. A person who works in the study of pharmacology is called a '''pharmacologist'''. Pharmacologists work in a team with [[biochemist]]s, [[genetics|geneticists]], [[Microbiology|microbiologists]], [[Toxicology|toxicologists]] and [[pharmacist]]s to run clinical tests on how drugs work. == Uses of pharmacology == The development of drugs is very important to medicine, but it also has strong economical and political uses. To protect people and prevent [[abuse]], some countries try to control the way in which drugs are made, sold, and administered. == Scientific background == To [[study]] chemicals, a person needs to know a lot about what w