A pharmacologist is a scientist who studies the complex interactions of chemicals with living organisms. A drug is any chemical that has an effect on a creature, and a pharmacologist spends a lot of time studying the effects of different drugs on tissues, organs, and their functions. Pharmacologists should not be confused with pharmacists, who deal primarily with drug distribution.
Pharmacology is divided into several fields, and a pharmacologist may work in one or more of them. Pharmacodynamics, which deals with the interactions between living things and drugs, is one of these fields. This branch investigates not only how drugs affect the human body, but also how they affect the organisms and microorganisms that live within it.
Toxicology is another field in which a pharmacologist may be interested. In this field, scientists investigate the harmful effects of poisons on the human body as well as the treatment of these toxic chemicals. The amount of the chemical, or dose, and how the body reacts to different amounts of poison are the most important factors that a toxicologist must consider.
For thousands of years, humans have used and experimented with various plants and chemicals to see what effects they have and whether they can cure various ailments and diseases. The field of pharmacology grew in popularity in the early twentieth century as advances in chemistry made it possible to study these substances in greater depth. Scientists were finally able to extract the effective chemicals from their sources and make drugs as a result of these numerous technological breakthroughs. Pharmacologists are still responsible for not only extracting these useful chemicals, but also ensuring their safety and effectiveness.
To understand how chemicals interact with the body and its many different types of cells, a pharmacologist must be educated in the complex biology associated with the body and its many different types of cells. He or she is frequently concerned with how a chemical is absorbed or disintegrated in the body. Another concern is how a chemical can travel through a biological system and which organs are affected or unaffected. A pharmacologist will frequently investigate how drugs are metabolized in the body and whether they have the potential to transform into another, potentially toxic chemical. Finally, pharmacologists must consider how chemicals leave the body, what amounts remain, and how long they stay there.