My first memory of poison was a tale of the Brothers Grimm, Snow White or I have heard something on poisonous mushrooms.
J.F. Borzelleca (2001) illustrated the origin of “poison” in Principles and methods of toxicology (ed. W. Hayes):
“Toxin was originally tekw, a word meaning to run or flee, later becoming toxsa in Persian and toxon in Greek, meaning bow and arrow; the toxin meaning may have come from the poison used to tip the arrows, or, as Robert Graves suggested, from the yew tree taxus, from which arrows were best made and whose berries were long known to be poisonous. The word poison came by a devious route, like a long-delayed afterthought. It derives from poi, to drink, becoming potare in Latin, whence „potion” (and also „symposium” from sym, together, plus posis, to drink). “
I think it would be more than interesting to compare how and when researchers in various cultures met with the notion of poison and what can be the original meaning of this word in their mother tongue?
You may add the Paracelsus quotes:
“Everything is a poison only the dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.”
or
“All things are poisons, for there is nothing without poisonous qualities. It is only the dose which makes a thing poison.”
(which one is correct I do not know - but the meaning is similar)
Today we would echange" dose" with " exposure".
kind regards
Lars
Dear Lars,
Thanks for your contribution. However, I teach the work and life of Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim („Alle Ding' sind Gift, und nichts ohn' Gift; allein die Dosis macht, daß ein Ding kein Gift ist.“), I would like you to write about your own first encounter the word poison and its original meaning in your mother tongue.
Afrânio do Amaral, in " Linguagem Cientifica"- portuguese text- has a good figure about the Greek & Latin origins on this subject.If ncessary I could scan part of the book.
Joao Luiz Cardoso, MD Hospital Vital Brazil.
- Badges
- Science method
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Ecology