Study Set Content:
Ruler of the kingdom of Pontus in 120 BC. Experimented with poisons and antidotes even on himself as a boy. Ingested small doses of toxicants to become immune to them.
Mithridates VI
It is said that she had her servants bring her a basket of fgs, in which one or more asps (Egyptian cobra) were hidden, and holding one to her breast, she succumbed to its venomous bite. However, recent analysis questions the feasibility of this and it has now been suggested that a more likely scenario was that she was murdered, perhaps with a poisonous draught by Octavian, the victor in their battle.
Cleopatra
On the occasion of his imminent capture by enemies, his attempts to kill himself with poison failed because of his successful antidote concoction, and he was forced to use a sword held by a servant (Bituitus).
Mithridates VI
His lifelong pursuit was to create a universal antidote (by conducting numerous acute toxicity experiments on unfortunate criminals), which came to be known as a (), his particular one called a (), by creating a concoction of tiny amounts of deadly poisons and antidotes.
theriac, Mithridatium
has also become synonymous with “antidote,” although the word comes from the poetic treatise Theriaca by Nicander of Colophon.
theriac
held by the Brooklyn Museum, is one of the major documents examining snakebite. Its two sections describe individual snakes and treatment for snakebites, respectively.
Brooklyn Papyri
A greek poet and physician. Author of two of the oldest extant works on poisons:
Nicander of Colophon
concerns venomous animals. As such they have a delivery system through which injection of their venom can be harmful to humans and other organisms. A large portion of this volume is devoted to snakes. Additional narrative is devoted to spiders, scorpions, insects, lizards, and fsh.
Theriaka
– a briefer poem, deals with 21 poisons from the vegetable, mineral, and animal kingdoms. Among them are aconite, white lead, and hemlock. As in his companion work, Nicander describes the poison, its symptoms, and antidotes.
Alexipharmaka
Greek philosopher who became iconic in the history of toxicology through his death in that his execution was to be carried out in suicidal fashion
Socrates
with Socrates condemned to drink an extract of () a poisonous plant (Conium maculatum) well known to the ancients.
hemlock,
Plays a role in the history of toxicology in Greece in that the cause of his death is an unsolved mystery as well. He is said to have drunk vast quantities of wine at a banquet in Babylon, after which he sufered severe abdominal pain. Over days, things went from bad to worse and he developed partial paralysis fnally dying two weeks later.
Alexander the Great
the high priestess at the oracle of delphi to whom people would address their questions to at the Oracle at Delphi. It is a role flled by various women at diferent times.
Phytia
– a kind of gas or vapor emitted in the adyton, a small inner sanctum type area. The Pythia would sit on a tripod-shaped chair, given a chance to inhale the pneuma, and go into a trance, after which a priest would address to her the questions asked by the petitioners.
Pneuma
t was said that “the probable cause of the trancelike state used by the Pythia at the oracle of Delphi during her mantic sessions was produced under the infuence of inhaling ()or a mixture of ethylene and ethane from a naturally occurring vent of geological origin”
ethylene gas
Greek physician in the court of the Roman emperor Nero, made the frst attempt to classify poisons, which was accompanied by descriptions and drawings. His classifcation into plant, animal, and mineral poisons in De materia medica not only remained a standard for 16 centuries but is still a convenient classifcation.
Dioscorides
ascribed to Dioscorides but probably not written by him, covered poisons in general and animal venoms, respectively, and were very infuential works in toxicology down through the age.
De Venenis and De venenosis animalibus
also dabbled in therapy, recognizing the use of emetics in poisoning and the use of caustic agents and cupping glasses in snakebite.
Dioscorides
Had a monumental impact on the understanding and practice of medicine. He became court physician to Marcus Aurelius.
Galen
Formulated his own Galeni Theriaca and claimed it improved upon the one concocted by Mithridates.
Galen
