Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Joan Demas, who worked extensively with the local, national, and international authors to ensure that their ideas were effectively expressed. She has assisted all of us in checking the facts, finding essential references, improving the structure and function of our text while dedicating her efforts to ensuring the precision and rigor of the text for her fourth consecutive edition. She has helped authors new and old master their rigorous commitment with the skill of a great publishing professional. The authors' and editors' work is better because of her devotion to excellence, calm demeanor in the face of editorial chaos, and consistent presence throughout each stage of the production of this text. We are deeply appreciative of the wonderful effort she provides for our readers and colleagues.

The many letters and verbal communications we have received with the reviews of the previous editions of this book continue to improve our efforts. We are deeply indebted to our friends, associates, and students, who stimulated us to begin this book with their questions and then faithfully criticized our answers.

We thank the many volunteers, students, librarians, and particularly the St. John's University College of Pharmacy students and drug information staff who provide us with vital technical assistance in our daily attempts to deal with toxicologic emergencies.

Mary Ann Howland, PharmD, gratefully acknowledges the helpful comments of Parshotam Madam, PhD, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the preparation of her chapter on Pharmacokinetic and Toxicokinetic Principles.

No words can adequately express our indebtedness to the many authors who worked on earlier editions of many of the chapters in this book. As different authors write and rewrite topics with each new edition, we recognize that without the foundation work of their predecessors this book would not be what it is today.

We appreciate the creative and rigorous advances in design and scientific art that the McGraw-Hill team, led by Armen Ovsepyan, have added to the text. The devotion to the creation of high-quality art graphics and tables is greatly appreciated. The support for excellence in this edition was facilitated by the constant vigilance of Executive Editor, Michael Weitz.

We appreciate the calm, thoughtful, and cooperative spirit of Karen Edmonson at McGraw-Hill. Her intelligence and ever vigilant commitment to our efforts has been wonderful. We are pleased with the creative developmental editorial efforts of Christie Naglieri. The organized project management by Tania Andrabi has found errors hiding throughout our pages. Her carefully posed questions have facilitated the process of correcting the text. It has been a pleasure to have her assistance. We greatly appreciate the compulsion and rigor that Michael Ferreira has applied to make this edition's index one of unique value. We appreciate the work of Catherine Saggese in ensuring the quality of production in the finished work.