This book is about the drugs used in the treatment and management of rheumatic disorders. The term 'therapeutics' used in the title is intended to mirror the relevance of drugs in the widest sense of the word. Thus, general principles underlying pharmaceutical and pharmacological study have been included together with more clinical matters concerned with applying specific rheumatic problems. The need for another work on rheumatological drugs in itself, as opposed to the different approach intended, was prompted by the ever continuing and bewildering plethora of antirheumatic drugs flooding the market at present. We believe that such a burgeoning of new preparations is welcome in an era when in general there are still no 'cures' available. Moreover, we also feel that a continued update of this rapidly advancing field is essential, not only for its own sake, but also to place it in perspective with itself and with neighbouring fields.

In general, existing texts concerned with rheumatic With regard to the general plan of the book, the therapy have either been addressed to specific aspects of chapters are largely self-contained and can be read in treatment or have formed only part of more general any order. However, it is recommended that the 'in textbooks. This book has therefore been written to fulfil troductory' chapters (Chapters I, 2, and 4) should be a need for a convenient and comprehensive distillation read before those succeeding them. If a more circuitous route is preferred each chapter is supplied with a list of of material covering the various treatment entities, the contents and a summary to aid swift appraisal. A interrelationships between them, and the wide potential generous system of cross-references and some repetition for their application. of salient points are also intended to help the reader who A further need for such a book stems from the fact uses the book as a reference source. A summary of the that approaches to treatment and their associated whole book is given in the last chapter (Section 12. 10) research reports have continued to grow at a high rate in and contains conclusions about the present status of the recent years. This is particularly so in relation to drug various approaches to therapy, together with suggestions therapy, and the task of reviewing this massive literature about the future.