Toxicology

Question 0

Toxicology modern definition

Answer 0

Toxicology is the study of the harmful effects of chemical or physical agents on living organisms, the mechanism underlying these effects and the condition under which they are likely to occur.

Question 1

What is the Greek word for poison?

Answer 1

Toxikon

Question 2

What is the Ebers Papyrus?

Answer 2

An ancient Egyptian text dated about 1500BC that list recipes for medicines to treat various ills and describes the poisonous properties of some plants (hellebore and hemlock) and plant products (opium)

Question 3

Circa 600BC

Answer 3

Fist document case of deliberate mass poisoning
Greek city states of Athens and Sicyon attacked the strong fortified city of Kirrha.
Poisoned the water supplies
Possible with the roots of the hellebore plant
The city was taken

Question 4

399BC

Answer 4

Socrates was convicted of corrupting Athenian youth and interfering with the religion of the city
The penalty for this’s was death
Socrates is reported by Plato (long after the event) to have taken matters into his own hands and drank a fatal draft of hemlock in the company of friends