Editing Pharmacology (section)

==Etymology==
The word ''pharmacology'' is derived from [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] word {{lang|grc|[[wikt:φάρμακον|φάρμακον]]}},  ''pharmakon'', meaning "drug" or "[[poison]]", together with another Greek word {{lang|grc|[[wikt:-λογία|-λογία]]}}, ''logia'' with the meaning of "study of" or "knowledge of"<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pharmacy | title = Pharmacy (n.) | work = Online Etymology Dictionary | access-date = 18 May 2017 | archive-date = 2 October 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171002165813/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pharmacy | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pharmacology | title = Pharmacology | work = Online Etymology Dictionary | access-date = 18 May 2017 | archive-date = 2 October 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171002165736/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pharmacology | url-status = live }}</ref> (cf. the [[Pharmacy#Etymology|etymology of ''pharmacy'']]). Pharmakon is related to [[pharmakos]], the ritualistic sacrifice or exile of a human [[scapegoat]] or victim in [[Ancient Greek religion]].

The modern term ''pharmacon'' is used more broadly than the term ''drug'' because it includes [[endogenous]] substances, and biologically active substances which are not used as drugs.  Typically it includes pharmacological [[agonists]] and [[Receptor antagonist|antagonists]], but also [[enzyme]] inhibitors (such as [[monoamine oxidase]] inhibitors).<ref>{{cite journal | pmid =8877846 |title = Interlaboratory study of log P determination by shake-flask and potentiometric methods | volume=14 | issue=11 | date=Aug 1996 | pages=1405–13|last1 = Takács-Novák |first1 = K. |last2 = Avdeef |first2 = A. |journal = Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis |doi = 10.1016/0731-7085(96)01773-6 }}</ref>