Veterinary Taxicology

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS

Historical developments in toxicology during various periods

• Antiquity
• Middle Ages
• Age of enlightenment
• Modern Toxicology
• After World War II

Antiquity

Shen Nung - 2696 BC

• Shen Nung the father of Chinese medicine is noted for tasting 365 herbs and he died of a toxic dose and wrote treatise on ‘Herbal Medical Experiment Poisons’.

Homer 850 BC

• Homer (about 850 BC) wrote of the use of arrows poisoned with venom in the epic tale of ‘ The Odyssey’ and ‘ The Iliad’.

Hippocrates (460-337 BC)

• Hippocrates in his writings (400 BC) showed that the ancient Greeks had a professional awareness of poisons and of the principles of toxicology, particularly with regard to the treatment of poisoning by influencing absorption.
• Theophrastus (370–286 BC), a student of Aristotle, included numerous references to poisonous plants in 'De Historia Plantarum'.
• Nicander of Colophon (185-135 BC), physician to Attalus, King of Bythnia, was allowed to experiment with poisons using condemned criminals as subjects. As a result of his studies he wrote a treatise on 'antidotes to poisonous reptiles and substances' and mentioned 22 specific poisons including white lead, lead oxide, aconite, cantharides, hemlock, hyoscyamus and opium. He recommended linseed tea to induce vomiting and sucking the venom from the bite of a venomous animal as treatments.

Sulla 82 BC

• The first known law against poisoning was issued in Rome by Sulla in 82 BC to protect against careless dispensing. The law prevented people from buying, selling or processing poisons .

Pedanius Dioscorides 
(40-90 AD)

• The Greek physician Dioscorides  made a particularly significant contribution to toxicology by classifying poisons as animal, plant or mineral and recognizing the value of emetics in the treatment of poisoning. The classification was accompanied by descriptions and drawings.

Middle Ages

• The writings of Maimonides (AD 1135–1204) included a treatise on the treatment of poisonings from insects, snakes and mad dogs. His 'Treatise on Poisons and Their Antidotes' is an early toxicology textbook that remained popular for centuries. Maimonides also refuted many of the popular remedies of the day and stated his doubts about others.
• During the middle ages more of misuse of poisons to kill enemies was on the rise.

Age of Enlightenment

• More recently, in 1945, Sir Rudolph Peters studied the mechanism of action of arsenical war gases and so was able to devise an effective antidote known as British Anti-Lewisite for the treatment of soldiers exposed to these gases.

Modern toxicology

• It is a continuation of the development of the biological and physical sciences in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• During this period the world witnessed an explosion in science that paved way for the beginning of the modern era of various aspects of science.
• The introduction of ether, chloroform, and carbonic acid led to several iatrogenic deaths.
• These unfortunate outcomes spurred research into the causes of the deaths and early experiments on adverse and toxic effects.

After World War II

• The 20^th century is marked by an advanced level of understanding of toxicology.
• DNA (molecule of life) and various biochemicals that maintain body functions were discovered.
• Our level of knowledge of toxic effects on organs and cells is now being revealed at the molecular level.
• It is recognized that virtually toxic effects are caused by changes in specific cellular molecules and biochemical moiety.