What is surprising is how practical and effective some of the historical remedies were for treating poisoning. However, antimony is highly toxic in its own right (approximately one gram absorbed into the body will kill) and there are now safer alternatives for inducing vomiting. Adding slightly acidic drinks to the cup would have dissolved a tiny amount of the antimony, a powerful emetic, and the vomiting it induced would remove the toxin from the stomach. The cups, often highly ornamental in design, were sometimes made from antimony metal.
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Some cups were said to able to detect if poison was present but others could be used in treatment in suspected poisonings. You might not be surprised to learn that bezoar are about as effective as amulets in the treatment of poisoning, ie useless.Īnother treatment was to be given a drink from a poison cup or chalice. These bezoar stones would be hung on chains around the neck so they could be easily dunked into suspect drinks to nullify the poison. The word bezoar comes from the Persian word pād zahr, which means antidote, but they are in fact indigestible lumps or solid masses extracted from the gastrointestinal tract of animals, usually wild goats. ‘ Unicorn’s horn’, amulets and bezoar stone were once all highly recommended for those who felt their life might be under threat from a poisoner. In the past, when the cause of poisoning was poorly understood, all kinds of crazy remedies were tried, often in vain, to save those who were suffering. However, brandy will be of little help to anyone in poisoning situations but at least it is more rational than some of the alternatives that have been tried in the past. The medicinal properties of brandy would appear to be near-miraculous, given how often it is given to anyone in physical or emotional distress.
#ETERNAL POISON PREOWNED TV#
Watching historical detective dramas on TV or reading an Agatha Christie story, you might think standard procedure in the case of poisoning is administering brandy. How could you not want to relieve someone of the agony and distress that very often accompanies overdoses of toxic substances?
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It makes the, often desperate, attempts to help victims of poisoning all the more understandable.
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The more I learn about the effects of poisons, the more appalled I am that anyone would intentionally inflict this on another living thing. Poisoning is a horrific thing to happen to anyone.