A dictionary of pharmacology and clinical drug evaluation (dedikált példány) [antikvár]

Preface Please read this preface; it is an important part of the book. "Most men think indistinctly and therefore cannot speak with exactness", and "Language is only the instrument of science, and words are but the signs of ideas". Thus, in 1755, wrote Dr Samuel Johnson in the preface to his great work, the first comprehensive Dictionary of the English language; and his statements remain true today. The need for lucidity in speech and writing has never been greater than it is now. On a practical personal level, failure to communicate effectively can be a major barrier to career success. Dr Johnson described the lexicographer or "writer of dictionaries" as "the slave of science" and as "a harmless drudge that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words". He added that although "Every other authour may aspire to praise, a lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach, and even this negative recompence has been yet granted to very few". In concluding his preface he addressed his critics with a little less than his customary self-assurance, "In this work, when it shall be found that much is omitted, let it not be forgotten that much likewise is performed" - we, after our so much more modest endeavours, know how he felt. We have undertaken this enterprise because we think the need for it is increasingly apparent. We include words and terms that are met and used by pharmacologists beyond the strictly technical terms of the discipline. Our decades of joint experience of practice and teaching have taught us the desirability of thus broadening the scope of this book. We invite anyone who dissents to question students about the meaning of the words they use. Indeed, we recommend questioning professional colleagues - by those willing to risk the unpopularity and resentment that is apt to ensue. But, " philosophical problems arise when language goes on holiday" (L. Wittgenstein). "To say that a word has meaning is not to say that those who use the word correctly have ever thought out what the meaning is" (B. Russell, 1872-1970). We all get by thus in daily talk, but a more rigorous approach is necessary in scientific communication and debate. We find support for our enterprise from: - Voltaire (1694-1778): "If you wish to converse with me, define your terms." - R. W. Emerson (1803-82): "He that can define is the best man." - L. Wittgenstein (1880-1951): "If language is to be a means of communication there must be agreement not only in definitions but also (queer as this may sound) in judgements." - U. Trendelenburg (1983): "The clarity of our nomenclature should concern us deeply, and not only from the point of view of pedantic linguistics. After all, scientists have to rely on language to formulate their hypotheses and theories, express their view and describe their insights into the workings of nature. Moreover, a considerable percentage of them have to rely on a foreign language (known as basic English, scientific English or simply poor English). Without a precisely defined nomenclature, all our attempts to master this foreign language are doomed to failure, and we are quite unable to convey to others our own insights and thoughts."