Chapters of general nature -- How to handle biological specimens -- Alternative specimens -- Pitfalls and cautions in analysis of drugs and poisons -- Pretreatments of human specimens -- Detection methods -- A computer system for diagnosis of causative drugs and poisons developed by the Japan Poison Information Center (Tokyo) -- Practical use of the poison-net developed by the Japan Information Network (Hiroshima) -- Problems in toxin analysis in emergency medicine -- Analysis of chemical warfare agents and their related compounds -- Chapters on specific toxins -- Carbon monoxide -- Hydrogen sulfide and its metabolite -- Cyanide -- Methanol and formic acid -- Ethanol -- Chloroform and dichloromethane -- Toluene, benzene, xylene and styrene -- Alkyl nitrites -- Components of gasoline and kerosene -- Amphetamines and their metabolites -- Cannabinoids and their metabolites -- Morphine and its analogues -- Cocaine and its metabolites -- Pentazocine -- Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) -- 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamines -- Phencyclidine -- ?-Hydroxybutyric acid -- Phenothiazines -- Butyrophenones -- Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants -- Benzodiazepines -- Bromisovalum -- Barbiturates -- Diphenylmethane antihistaminics -- Propionic acid derivative analgesic-antipyretics -- Acetaminophen (paracetamol) -- Acetylsalicylic acid -- Antiepileptics -- Muscle relaxants -- ?-Blockers -- Local anaesthetics -- Salicylic acid -- ?-Lactam antibiotics -- Hypochlorite -- Benzalkonium chlorides -- Hair dyes -- Permethrin -- Boric acid -- Naphthalene -- p-Dichlorobenzene -- Ethylene glycol -- Aconite toxins -- Mushroom toxins -- Tetrodotoxin -- Methylxanthine derivatives -- Nicotine and cotinine -- Tropane alkaloids -- Oleander toxins -- Simultaneous analysis of pesticides by GC/MS -- Organophosphorus pesticides -- Glufosinate and glyphosate -- Carbamate pesticides -- Paraquat and diquat -- Cresol -- Diazine and triazine herbicides -- Coumarin rodenticides -- Sarin and its decomposition products -- VX and its decomposition products -- Sodium azide -- Arsenic compounds and other inorganic poisons -- Nitrate and nitrite compounds -- Methemoglobin.It was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation to write the foreword for Drugs and Poisons in Humans. A Handbook of Practical Analysis. Dr. Osamu Suzuki and Dr. Mikio Yashiki, two outstanding Japanese scientists, f rst published the Handbook in Japanese in 2002. Specialists throughout Japan contributed analytical methods for a wide variety of therapeutic and illicit drugs, pesticides, and natural toxins and alkaloids. In fact, rarely has such a wide spectrum of analytes and metabolites been addressed within a single reference manual. At the beginning of the book, general topics are addressed, including instructions on h- dling biological materials, measurement of drugs in alternative specimens, and guidance on resolving analytical problems that may occur. T ere are discussions of extraction modalities and detection methodologies and how to select these appropriately based on the physioche- cal characteristics of the drug. Analysis of specif c classes of drugs and relevant metabolites are covered in subsequent chapters. Clinical, analytical and forensic toxicology and clinical ch- istry laboratories will f nd the volume informative and useful. Toxicologists are of en faced with developing methods for new drugs and metabolites with little information available in the literature. T is book provides a great starting point for method development providing pro- dures that have been utilized in real life situations. In addition, toxicologists developing new methodologies may use this volume as a guide to selecting the most appropriate instrumen- tion to handle the breadth of their analytical workload.