This book covers the rational scientific basis and practice of drug therapy. The book explores the psychological and medical areas that patients have a right to expect such as the maximum benefit with minimum risk. The range of general topics includes: benefits and risks, the public view of drugs and prescribers, complementary and conventional medicine. Also discussed is responsibility for drug-caused injury such as why drug therapy causes unavoidable risk. There are also discussions of the evaluation of medicines, ethics of drug research, the scientific basis of pharmacology, adverse drug reactions, and non-medical and social use of drugs.