History of Toxicology

Ms. Sara Faroug

School of pharmacy

College of pharmacy & Nursing

University of Nizwa

Define the toxicology.

Describe the historical aspect of toxicology.

Describe different branches of toxicology.

At the end of this Chapter , students should be able to

• The word toxicology is derived from two Greek words; toxikon, meaning poisonous substance into which arrow heads were dipped and logos, meaning study.

• Toxicology originally developed as the science of poisons.

• Toxicology is now described as the study of the adverse effects of chemical or physical agents on living organisms.

INTRODUCTION TO TOXICOLOGY

A toxicologist is a scientist that determines the harmful

effects of agents and the cellular, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms responsible for the effects.

Adverse effects can range from obvious ones like death, cancer, an injury or the undesired effects.

It is often necessary to evaluate exposure and effect in a large group or population of people to assess subtle changes.

Knowledge of how toxic agents damage the body has

progressed along with medical knowledge.

The historical development of toxicology began with early cave dwellers who recognized poisonous plants and animals and used their extracts for hunting or in warfare.

In Ancient time Elbers Papyrus (1500 BC) did the earliest collection of medical records and describe several poisons known at that time. (Hemlock)

Hippocrates (400 BC) showed that the ancient Greeks had professional awareness of poisons and of principle of Toxicology.

Historical aspects of Toxicology

Socrates (470-399 BC) poisoning by drinking hemlock is one of the best known cases of execution by poisoning.

Notable poisoning victims include Socrates, Cleopatra, and Claudius.

History of Toxicology

The scientific foundations of toxicology were laid by Paracelsus.

He stated the principle of dose- response as All substances are poisons, there is none that is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and

a remedy .

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TOXICOLOGY

• Orfila , a Spanish physician (1787–1853) who is known as the modern Father of Toxicology:

• He was the first one that treat toxicology as a separate scientific subject and introduced chemical analysis as an essential component.

Developed toxicology into a science.

Compiled chemical and biological information on most known poisons.

Proposed the necessity of chemical analysis to prove cause-and-effect.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TOXICOLOGY

The 20th century is marked by an advanced level of understanding of toxicology.

An event that impacted the discipline very deeply was the advent of World War II due to the significant development of chemical used for warfare like pesticides, ammunitions and drugs.

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.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TOXICOLOGY

Clinical toxicology is deals with diagnosis and treatment of the normal diseases or effects caused by toxic substances.

Forensic toxicology concerns the medico legal aspects, including detection of poisons in clinical and other samples.

Environmental toxicology Environmental toxicology deals with the potentially deleterious impact of chemicals, present as pollutants of the environment, to living organisms.

Occupational toxicology is a specific area of environmental toxicology that deals with the work environment and constitutes a significant part of industrial hygiene.

Branches of Toxicology

Areas of scientific study relevant to toxicology