When Medicine Turns Deadly: The Fine Line Between Cure and Poison
When Medicine Turns Deadly: The Fine Line Between Cure and Poison “ What is there that is not poison? All things are poison and nothing is without poison. Solely the dose determines that a thing is not a poison. ” Written (and translated from German) by the Renaissance physician Paracelsus (1493–1541), he argues that anything is a poison. What? No, that doesn’t mean you should stop taking Advil or eating candy. What Paracelsus is saying is that everything can be a poison, depending on the dose. It makes a lot more sense with that context, right? But what qualifies as too large of a dose? When does accidentally administering too much of a substance qualify as murder? How much is considered poison? Firstly, what is poisoning? It’s defined as exposure to a toxic substance that causes illness or harm. That’s a pretty broad definition. For instance, you could eat yourself sick with Sour Patch Kids, and ...