THE HISTORY OF TOXICOLOGY

          The society of toxicology defines toxicology as “the discipline that integrates all scientific information to help preserve and protect health and the environment from the hazards presented by chemical and physical agents”.
          The hazard of a chemical or physical agents is its capacity to produce particular types of adverse effect. Hazards are usually determined using information collected from studies conducted in animals, and also from studies in which human populations have been exposed to chemicals.
         As it is stated above, the historical development of toxicology began with early cave dwellers who recognized poisonous plants and animals and used their extracts for hunting in warfare. By 1500 BC, written records indicated that hemlock, opium, arrow poisons, and certain metals were used to poison enemies or for state executions.
         Paracelsus (Theophrastus Phillipus Auroleus Bombastus Von Hohenheim 1493-1541) determined that specific chemicals were actually responsible for the toxicity of a plant or animal poison. He also developed the concept of dose. His studies revealed that small doses of substances might be harmless or beneficial whereas larger doses could be toxic. This is now known as the dose-response relationship, a major concept of toxicology.
Paracelsus is often quoted for his statement:
All things are poison and Nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing a poison.

This is often condensed to:

”

The

dose makes the poison “.

Mathieu Orfila (1787-1853) is considered to be the father of modern toxicology, having given the subject its formal treatment in 1813 in his Toxicology generate (Trait des poisons). Orfila prepared a systematic correlation between the chemical and biological properties of poisons of the time. He demonstrated the effects of poisons on specific organs by analyzing autopsy materials for poisons and their associated tissue damage. 

The 20th century was marked by advanced level of understanding of toxicology. DNA (the 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 all toxic effects are caused by changes in specific cellular molecules and biochemicals.  

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The Victorian Search for Gorillas, Evolution, and Humanness

Once Upon a Time

The Oldest Vocation

In 1955, right out of college, I found one of those jobs in publishing so dear to history and English majors who could afford them. We were paid almost nothing, which was considered OK for girls, at least if they had parents who could give them a winter coat for Christmas and bail them out in an emergency. Health insurance wasn’t necessary in those days, when a visit to the doctor or a prescription for an antibiotic cost very little. If you shared space, you could even rent an apartment in Manhattan; with three roommates, I lived near Second Avenue in the80s. We had a duplex two-bedroom apartment in a funky old house with a lot of charm – and a lot of cockroaches, but who cared? Right above the bathtub on the second floor there was a skylight that offered dirty and difficult access to the roof. We…

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1 Boston Caricature Artist MA 1-888-339-9995

1 Boston Caricature Artist MA 1-888-339-9995.

1 Las Vegas Murder Mystery Companies Parties Shows

1 Las Vegas Murder Mystery Companies Parties Shows.

Jenny Diski on Writing, Love, and Cancer

WordPress.com News

Photo by Suki Dhanda

We’ve been following writer Jenny Diski for many years at the London Review of Books, and more recently on her WordPress.com blog. Just this past weekend Diski was featured in a profile by Giles Harvey for the New York Times Magazine, about a subject she revealed in her own 2014 essays: she has inoperable lung cancer.

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Unveiled Secret

My latest screenplay “Unveiled Secret” is now available, follow  @f_dahvid on twitter

Blog Hits 26,000,000

JONATHAN TURLEY

Just last March, we passed the 25,000,000 mark and today we hit 26,000,000. We have used these moments to give thanks for our many regular readers around the world and give you an idea of the current profile of readers on the blog. We continue to rank in the top legal blogs in the world and we are continuing to see a growing international readership. As always, I want to offer special thanks for our weekend contributors: Mike Appleton, Larry Rafferty, Darren Smith, Kimberly Dienes, and Cara Gallagher. I particularly want to thank Darren who has continued to help manage the blog and help out folks who encounter posting problems. The increasing traffic on the site is gratifying and reaffirms that there are many people looking for mature and civil debate. While we have some who cannot resist personal attacks, we try to discourage such posters and this site remains…

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In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Off-Season.”

MEET EMEM ISONG

mem Isong Biography/ Profile

producer, director and a wife. 

Emem Isong is a Nigerian home video industry screenplay writer and producer. Beginning her career in 1994, she has excelled in writing and producing movies. With provoking and well thought out plots, she has earned her place in Nollywood as one of the best screenplay writers.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts from the University of Calabar and a diploma in computer science from the Computer Science Institute (NCR).

Since 1994, Emem has written and produced more than 17 movies some of which have won awards both nationally and internationally. She has also written about 10 for other producers, and she is renowned for writing and producing highly thrilling suspense movies.

Emem combines the rich cultural roots of the Ibibio people and her degree in Theater arts to churn out some of the best scripts that have come out of Nollywood. Describing her movie production style, Emem says, ”I am dramatic. I love dramatic events and I don’t want a situation where you predict what would happen next.”

”I also love dialogue and I pay a lot of attention to detail, as I expect the viewer to be thrilled,” she says, continuing: `If you watch all my movies… you would see what I am saying. For example, in ”Breaking Point, She Devil, A Minute To Midnight, Master Stroke, Play Boy, Rumours, Shattered Illusion, Promise Me Forever, and Emotional Crack… not forgetting Private Sin.”

Describing her success, Emem says it was, ”Hit And Run… that made people sit up and notice what I could do. But the one that made me happiest was Emotional Crack, which took me to festivals outside the country, particularly the African Film Festival in New York. I was invited… and that exposed me to meet with a lot of other film-makers and some others in the film industry. That is the one… that gave me the break that I needed.”

Some of her movies includes Promise Me Forever, Girls In The Hood, Private Sin, Behind Closed Doors, Darkest Night, Enslaved, Games Women Play, Masterstroke, Men Do Cry, Blind Obsession, Silence Of the Gods, Mfana Ibagha, Ekaete, For Real, Endless Lies and finally Critical Decision, which Emem describes as the very best she has ever written. Be sure to watch these thrilling movies that highlight love.