The Expanding Complexity of Poisonings Encountered in Emergency Medicine

Innumerable potential toxins can inflict harm on humans, including pharmaceuticals, herbals, household products, environmental agents, occupational chemicals, substance use/misuse, and chemical terrorism threats. From the beginnings of written history, poisons and their effects have been well described. Paracelsus (1493 –1541) correctly noted that “[a]ll substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison….” As life in the modern era has become more complex, so has the study of poisons and the treatment of the patient inflicted with toxicity.
Source: Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Preface Source Type: research