1. Forensics:

2.  “All substances are poisons. There is none which is not. The right dose differentiates between a poison and remedy.”  Paracelsus (1495-1541) ▪ Swiss physician and chemist

3.  Oldest recorded poisoning was death of Socrates in 339 BC, given an extract of hemlock.  By the Middle Ages, death by poisoning became commonplace, as many as 1 in 10 deaths. Wealthy people hired food tasters.

4.  Most popular poison was arsenic.  It was easy to obtain and use  Left no trace  Death appeared to be of natural causes  Wasn’t until 1836, James Marsh developed a test for Arsenic. –Marsh test

5.  Many factors affect toxicity:  Form of the substance  How it enters the body  Victim’s age, health, body composition  Time of exposure  What other chemicals are present in the body

6.  Arsenic, by itself, is insoluble in the stomach and therefore not very poisonous.  Arsenic Trioxide (As2O3) and Arsenic Pentoxide (As2O5) are very poisonous.  Arsine gas is also poisonous.

7.  Ingest  Inhale  Inject  Absorb

8.  Size, weight, and gender all play a role in a person’s BAC level.  Infants and the elderly are almost always more susceptible to a poison.

9.  Chronic Exposure: large amounts over a long period of time.  Acute Exposure: a single dose large enough to cause immediate harm, even death.  Small amounts over time may help build a tolerance for the poison.

10.  Synergism: Two compounds whose presence together magnifies their effects.  Antagonism: Two compounds whose presence decrease each other’s effects.  Chelating agent: A substance which binds to a poison, preventing it from affecting the body.