Biochemic Therapeutics is based on the philosophy that the structure and vitality of the organs of the body are dependent upon certain necessary quantities and functioning of its organic and inorganic constituents.
Biochemistry and medicine enjoy a mutually cooperative relationship. Biochemical studies have illuminated many aspects of health and disease, and the study of various aspects of health and disease has opened up new areas of biochemistry. The medical relevance of biochemistry both in normal and abnormal situations is emphasized throughout this book. Biochemistry makes significant contributions to the fields of cell biology, physiology, immunology, microbiology, pharmacology, and toxicology, as well as the fields of inflammation, cell injury, and cancer. These close relationships emphasize that life, as we know it, depends on biochemical reactions and processes.
Biochemistry combines analytical chemistry with aspects of physiology, physical chemistry, pathophysiology, and diagnostic medicine. Diagnostic Clinical Biochemistry uses biochemical knowledge and techniques to assist in the diagnosis of human disease, to follow its progress, and to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.
Biochemists study such things as the structures and physical properties of biological molecules, including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids; the mechanisms of enzyme action; the chemical regulation of metabolism; the chemistry of nutrition; the molecular basis of genetics (inheritance); the chemistry