First poison

The S2p lines of sample CoS are shown in Figure 25a. The plot (a) corresponds to complete absence of sulfur, as expected. At the end of the first poisoning stage, the S2p line... 

A. nagarum (Ranunculaceae) [root] Aconitum carmichaelii, A. napellus (wolfsbane), A. spp. (Ranunculaceae) [root, other parts] the first poison wolfsbane made by Hecate from the froth of Cerberus... 

Harmful chemical compounds called poisons have accompanied humanity since ancient times. The first poisons were substances of natural origin, that is, toxins (produced by plants), venoms (produced by animals) and mineral substances (As, Sb, Sn and Cu). Dynamic advances in the synthesis of chemical compounds, initiated at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century, as well as the rapid progress of civilisation, led to introduction into the human enviromnent of a huge number of synthetic chemical substances. Currently, therefore, we are faced with an increasing number of toxic substances of natural and synthetic origin. 

He next worked at Stafford Infirmary, and it was here that he first poisoned someone, an acquaintance named Abbey. He used strychnine added to a glass of brandy, apparently just to see how the poison worked. It was successful and no one was suspicious of Abbey s death. Palmer then murdered one of his illegitimate children when she visited him. 

The first poison to be isolated from a mold is afla-toxin. This and other poisonous substances produced by molds and other fungi are referred to as mycotoxins. Some mycotoxins are deadly to humans in tiny doses, others will only affect certain animals. Aflatoxin was first isolated in 1960 in Great Britain. It was produced by Aspergillus flavus that had been growing on peanuts. In that year, aflatoxin had been responsible for the death of 100,000 turkeys. In fact, it was the massive financial loss from these deaths that led to the research that discovered aflatoxin. 

The first poison projectiles were probably first devised for hunting and then turned toward war. The bow and arrow was a highly effective delivery system for toxins at an early date, since a mere scratch from a treated point could be fatal. 

There is a temporary rise in mucoprotein and in protein-bound carbohydrate and hexosamine (B8a, B13, N4, P5). The response is greatly reduced if the liver is first poisoned (R8, WlOa). They rise in a great many infiammatory conditions (02). 

The Germans began in 1915 to use poison gas on the battlefield, hoping to use their superiority in the industry to break a stalemate on the front. The British and French of course responded in kind. The first poison gas was chlorine soon after, both sides began developing new toxic agents such as mustard gas and chloropicrin. 

The properties of compounds are always different from the properties of the elements of which they are formed. Sodium is a shiny metal that reacts vigorously when exposed to air or water (see its photograph in Fig. 2.18) chlorine is a yellow-green gas that was the first poison gas used in World War I (also shown in Fig. 2.18). Neither element is pleasant to work with. Yet the compound formed from these two elements, sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt, is essential in the diets of many animals, including humans (also shown in Fig. 2.18). 

The toxicity of chlorine is a significant factor regarding its use for water disinfection. Chlorine is so toxic when it is inhaled that it was the first poison gas used in World War 1. Elemental chlorine can be stored and transported as a liquid under pressure. Released to the atmosphere, it forms a dense layer of choking gas that reacts in moist respiratory tract tissue to produce acid and tissue-damaging oxidants. Levels of 10-20 ppm in air can cause immediate damage to the respiratory tract and a brief exposure to air containing 1000 ppm of chlorine can be fatal. 

Gaseous chlorine, fluorine, and volatile fluorides are uncommon air pollutants, but very serious where they occur. Elemental chlorine, CI2, is widely produced and distributed as a water disinfectant, bleach, and industrial chemical. It is very reactive and so toxic that it was the first poisonous gas used as a military poison in World War I. Most toxic exposures of chlorine occur as the result of transportation accidents, leading to its release. 

The first poisons were natural, and while some of these toxins apply the blunt-force approach of cell trauma and death, others are rapier-like in their precision. The venoms that attack the exquisitely designed neural system can knock out one or more simple proteins and cause dramatic chemical mischief While some organisms, under evolutionary pressure, developed the chemicals to derail nerve to muscle communications, humans have also done so—either deliberately or, as will be seen in subsequent chapters, by pure coincidence. 

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