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Lessons Learned: Milestones of Toxicology Steven G Lessons Learned: Milestones of Toxicology Steven G. Gilbert1 and Antoinette Hayes2 1Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders and 2Northeastern University Contact information: Steven G. Gilbert at [email protected] – For more information, its interactive (clickable) at www.asmalldoseof.org – © 2006 Steven G. Gilbert Shen Nung Ebers Papyrus Gula 1400 BCE Homer Socrates Hippocrates Mithridates VI L. Cornelius Sulla Cleopatra Pedanius Mount Vesuvius 2696 BCE 1500 BCE 850 BCE (470-399 BCE) (460-377 BCE) (131-63 BCE) 82 BCE (69-30 BCE) Dioscorides Erupted August 24th Antiquity The Father of Egyptian records Wrote of the Charged with Greek physician, Tested antidotes Lex Cornelia de Experimented (40-90 CE) 79 CE Chinese contains 110 use of arrows religious heresy observational to poisons on sicariis et with strychnine Greek City of Pompeii & 3000 BCE – 90 CE pages on anatomy Sumerian texts refer to a medicine, noted poisoned with venom in the and corrupting the morals approach to human disease himself and used prisoners veneficis –law and other poisons on pharmacologist and Herculaneum and physiology, toxicology, female deity, Gula. This for tasting 365 herbs and epic tale of The Odyssey of local youth. Death by and treatment, founder of as guinea pigs. Created against poisoning people or prisoners and poor. Physician,wrote De Materia destroyed and buried spells, and treatment, mythological figure was said to have died of a toxic and The Iliad. From Greek Hemlock - active chemical modern medicine, named mixtures of substances prisoners; could not buy, Committed suicide with Medica basis for the by ash. Pliny the Elder recorded on papyrus. associated with charms, overdose. toxikon arrow poison. alkaloid coniine. cancer after creeping crab. leading to term mithridatic. sell or possess poisons. Egyptian Asp. modern pharmacopeia. suffocated by volcanic gases. spells and poisons. Greek Fire Ergot Outbreak Moses Maimonides Albertus Magnus Raymundus Lullius Knights Templars Petrus de Abano The Black Death Venetian Council of Zhou Man Rodrigo & 673 CE 994 CE (1135-1204) (1193-1280) 1275 (1118-1307) (1250-1315) (1347-1351) Ten - 1419 1423 Cesare Borgia Middle Ages Ancient 40,000 died Jewish Dominican friar Ether discovered Christian military Italian scholar Bubonic & Group of Chinese explorer (1400-1500) “napalm” described by the from eating philosopher & wrote extensively by Spanish order alleged to translated pneumonic people who lost 1000s of crew Poisoned many people in Italy 476 CE – 1453 Crusaders as consisting of contaminated wheat/rye physician wrote: on compatibility chemist and be experts with Hippocrates and plague ravaged Europe carried out members from uranium for political and monetary gain. naptha, quicklime, sulphur, caused gangrene - known as Treatise on Poisons and religion and science and later called poisons. They searched for Galen to Latin. Wrote book leaving the highest number murders with poison for a exposure while mining lead Used arsenic in a concoction & saltpeter. St. Anthony’s Fire. Their Antidotes. isolated arsenic in 1250. “sweet vitriol”. the “Elixir of Life”. on poisons: De Venenis. of casualties in history. fee. in Jabiru Australia. called “La Cantrella”. Leonardo de Vinci Pope Clement VII Paracelsus Georgius Agricola Catherine Medici William Piso Shakespeare Hieronyma Spara Catherine Monvoisin Guilia Tophania King Louis XIV Renaissance (1452-1519) (1478-1534) (1493-1541) (1494-1555) (1519-1589) 1640 (1564-1616) ~1659 (LaVoisin) (1635-1719) 1682 Experimented with Died (possibly “All substances Wrote De Re Queen of France, In Brazil, From Romeo & Roman women & (1640-1680) Italian woman who Passed royal decree 14th–16th bioaccumulation of murdered) after are poisons; Metallica published expert assassin, studied effects Juliet - act 5 fortune teller Accused sorcerer supplied poison (arsenic) to forbidding apothecaries there is none which is not a poisons in animals eating amanita 1556. The most tested poisons of Cephaelis “Here’s to my love! O true organized wealthy wives and and convicted wives looking to murder to sell arsenic or poisonous poison. The right dose Centuries and called the procedure Phalloides, (death cap) comprehensive book on on the poor and Ipecacuanha, apothecary! Thy drugs are sold them a arsenic elixir to poisoner in France. their husbands. Later substances except to persons “passages”. differentiates a poison from a mining and metallurgy. murder their husbands. mushroom. remedy.” the sick. an emetic; treat dysentery. quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” She was burned at the stake. executed by strangulation. known to them. Devonshire Colic John Jones Richard Meade Carl Wilhelm Percivall Pott Felice Fontana Freidrich Serturner Francoise Magendie Fowler’s Solution Pierre Ordinaire Mateu J.B. Orfila 1700’s 1701 (1673-1754) Scheele (1742-176) (1714-1788) 1767 (1783-1841) (1783-1855) 1786-1936 1797-1915 (1787-1853) Devonshire, English doctor wrote In 1702, wrote A Swedish apothecary British physician Italian chemist and Isolated an alkaloid Discovered emetine Potassium arsenite Created elixir Considered the father 1700s England. High The Mysteries of Opium Mechanical and chemist, who recognized physiologist who From opium poppy and studied effects solution prescribed using absinthe of modern toxicology. incidence of lead Reveal’d described many Account of Poisons discovered oxygen, coal-tar caused was the first to study in 1803. He named of strychnine & as a general tonic popularized and sold by Henry In 1813 he published colic drinking treatments of opium, but also dedicated to poisons snakes, barium, chlorine, cancer of the scrotum in venomous snakes. Discovered it Morphine after Morpheus, the cyanide. Called and used from about Pernod. Absinthe was used by Traite des Poisons, the father of contaminated cider. withdrawal and addiction. animals and plants. manganese, and chimney sweeps. Chimney that viper venom affects blood. Greek god of dreams. 1786 to 1936. Used Vincent Van Gogh; banned in which described the symptoms of hydrogen cyanide. Sweepers Act of 1788. experimental pharmacology. by Charles Darwin? 1915, subject of Degas. poisons. Thomas de Quincey James Marsh Robert Christison Claude Bernard Ascanio Sobrero Theodore G. Wormley Joseph Caventou & Arsenic Act 1851 Louis Lewin Emil Fischer Constantine Fahlberg (1785-1859) (1794-1846) (1797-1882) (1813-1878) (1812- 1888) (1826-1897) Pierre Pelletier Required arsenic to be colored (1854-1929) 1852-1919 Saccharin - 1879 with soot or indigo to prevent English writer Chemist developed Toxicologist at French Italian chemist, in Wrote the first German Constantine Fahlberg 1820 “accidental” poisoning. 1800s became addicted and perfected the Marsh test for University of physiologist 1847 discovered American book pharmacologist discovered saccharin to opium in early arsenic. The improved Marsh Edinburgh wrote Treatise on studied the effects nitroglycerin, a dedicated to Friedrich Gaedcke studied and classified while working in the 1800’s and test was used forensically for laboratory of Ira Poisons in 1829; invented of carbon monoxide and powerful explosive poisons in 1869 French pharmacists isolated 1855 Isolated hallucinogenic plants, published Confessions of an the first time in 1840 during the Remsen (right) poison harpoon for whaling curare. Influenced by and vasodilator. Alfred entitled: Microchemistry of quinine from bark of Cinchona cocaine from alcohols and other Opium Eater in 1821. trial of Marie Lafarge. Isolated the stimulant caffeine in 1879. that contained prussic acid. Francoise Magendie. Nobel was his student. Poisons. tree in back of their pharmacy. Erythroxylon coca. psychoactive compounds. from plant extracts in 1895. Upton Sinclair Pure Food and Chemical Warfare A U.S. Prohibition Geneva Protocol Ginger Jake 1929 Hawk's Nest Gerhard Schrader Elixir Sulfanilamide Albert Hofmann Marijuana Tax Act (1878-1968) Drugs Act - 1906 Reality 1915 1919-1933 1925 Alcoholic tonic produced Incident 1927-1935 (1903-1990) 1937 1938 1937 Published Harvey Washington German Law that made Banned use of illegally during prohibition Hundreds of black German Chemist Food Drug & Lysergic acid Federal criminal 1900-1930s The Jungle Wiley, M.D. (1844- chemist Fritz the production chemical weapons. adulterated with TOCP workers die from accidentally (LSD) synthesized offense to possess, 1930). Law prevents Cosmetic Act in 1905. Haber (1868-1934) and sale of Updated in 1993 produced OPIDN acute silicosis while made nerve agents; sarin, tabun, in the Sandoz produce, or dispense production or trafficking 1938 Chronicled the unsanitary of mislabeled, adulterated developed blistering agents alcoholic beverages as the “Chemical Weapons (Jake Leg), digging tunnel for a soman, and cyclosarin while Laboratory (now hemp. Non-medical 100 die, diethylene conditions in meat packing or poisonous foods, drugs, used in WWI; chlorine and illegal but very profitable. Convention” to include affecting 50,000 hydroelectric project developing insecticides 1938; Novartis). In 1943 Hoffman use prohibited in California (1915) glycol as a vehicle. industry in Chicago. medicines, and liquors. cyanide gases. banning production. adults. for Union Carbide. agents used in WWII. tested LSD on himself. and Texas (1919). DDT – 1939 2,4-D – 1946 Minimata Japan Poison Control Journal of Tox. & Thalidomide Society of Toxicology Alice Hamilton Rachel Carson Occupational Safety U.S. EPA Recognized as Developed during (1950’s) Centers 1953 App. Pharmacology (1959-1960’s) 1961
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