PHAR 100 EXAM 2O25/2026 MID YEAR EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
drug - any substance received by a biological system not received for nutritive purposes, that
influences biological health of an organism
pharmacology - science of drugs, including uses, effects and modes of action
ancient Greece - pupil of Aristotle wrote about opium from opium poppy, isolated morphine from
opium
ancient Egypt - medical textbook of drug use written in 1550 B.C., recommended Senna for purgative
ancient China - earliest record of drug experiments, emperor grouped drugs by taste
use of poison - use of ____ resulted in discovery of drugs used today and helped with drug
development
curare - indigenous people dipped arrows in it, paralysed muscles and caused death, new derivatives
used by anaesthesiologists to relax muscles during surgery
ergot - poisonous fungus that grows on rye, causes hallucinations, constricted blood vessels,
contractions of uterus
ergotamine - treats migraines, constricts vessels that carry blood to head
ergonovine - no longer used to speed labour, used to stop uterine bleeding after childbirth
medicine men in ancient times - physicians and priests, therapy influenced by religion and magic
drug discovery - 25% drugs used today derived from plants, active substances purified and modified
to be more effective or less toxic
, reserpine and chlorpromazine - extracts of rauwolfia plant to reduce tension, anxiety and blood
pressure, in 1950's _____ was isolated, now ______ preferred, easier to find proper dosage,
treatment for mental illness makes anxious people calm
lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) - discovered by Albert Hoffman, synthesized LSD from components
of ergot in 1943, discovery of psychedelic effects supported that potent substances in brain can
cause mental illnesses
anaesthetics - nitrous oxide: chemist was demonstrating laughing gas, dentist noticed pain relieving
effects
ether: Faraday pointed out similar properties to ether, used as anaesthesia for operations
Paul Ehrich - father of chemotherapy, discovered that organ arsenicals selectively bound to parasites,
cure for syphilis
Gerhard Domagk - introduced first sulfa drug, first successful synthetic drugs to treat bacterial
disease
Alexander Fleming - discovered penicillin, first antibiotic, introduced during second world war to
treat gram-positive bacterial disease
Selman Waksman - discovered another antibiotic streptomycin, treated tuberculosis and gram-
negative bacterial disease
research and discovery of target - 3-6 years, up to 25000 compounds ex: drug to lower blood
pressure, effect would be studied and safety/efficacy tested
preclinical studies - before human testing, toxic studies determine effect of drug on systems not
targeted, pharmacology studies give detailed mechanism of action of drug, how it gives desired
effect
clinical trials: initial steps - 1. submit proof of safety to government regulatory agency
2. methodology of proposed trial required
3. submission evaluated, permission given or denied
AND ANSWERS
drug - any substance received by a biological system not received for nutritive purposes, that
influences biological health of an organism
pharmacology - science of drugs, including uses, effects and modes of action
ancient Greece - pupil of Aristotle wrote about opium from opium poppy, isolated morphine from
opium
ancient Egypt - medical textbook of drug use written in 1550 B.C., recommended Senna for purgative
ancient China - earliest record of drug experiments, emperor grouped drugs by taste
use of poison - use of ____ resulted in discovery of drugs used today and helped with drug
development
curare - indigenous people dipped arrows in it, paralysed muscles and caused death, new derivatives
used by anaesthesiologists to relax muscles during surgery
ergot - poisonous fungus that grows on rye, causes hallucinations, constricted blood vessels,
contractions of uterus
ergotamine - treats migraines, constricts vessels that carry blood to head
ergonovine - no longer used to speed labour, used to stop uterine bleeding after childbirth
medicine men in ancient times - physicians and priests, therapy influenced by religion and magic
drug discovery - 25% drugs used today derived from plants, active substances purified and modified
to be more effective or less toxic
, reserpine and chlorpromazine - extracts of rauwolfia plant to reduce tension, anxiety and blood
pressure, in 1950's _____ was isolated, now ______ preferred, easier to find proper dosage,
treatment for mental illness makes anxious people calm
lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) - discovered by Albert Hoffman, synthesized LSD from components
of ergot in 1943, discovery of psychedelic effects supported that potent substances in brain can
cause mental illnesses
anaesthetics - nitrous oxide: chemist was demonstrating laughing gas, dentist noticed pain relieving
effects
ether: Faraday pointed out similar properties to ether, used as anaesthesia for operations
Paul Ehrich - father of chemotherapy, discovered that organ arsenicals selectively bound to parasites,
cure for syphilis
Gerhard Domagk - introduced first sulfa drug, first successful synthetic drugs to treat bacterial
disease
Alexander Fleming - discovered penicillin, first antibiotic, introduced during second world war to
treat gram-positive bacterial disease
Selman Waksman - discovered another antibiotic streptomycin, treated tuberculosis and gram-
negative bacterial disease
research and discovery of target - 3-6 years, up to 25000 compounds ex: drug to lower blood
pressure, effect would be studied and safety/efficacy tested
preclinical studies - before human testing, toxic studies determine effect of drug on systems not
targeted, pharmacology studies give detailed mechanism of action of drug, how it gives desired
effect
clinical trials: initial steps - 1. submit proof of safety to government regulatory agency
2. methodology of proposed trial required
3. submission evaluated, permission given or denied
