Ancient Technology

For thousands of years poisons have been both a deadly threat and a protective tool used around the world. Poisons have played a dominant role in our history and legends, persisting both as evil potions and curative antidotes. Vital medicines we rely on today have roots in the diabolical concoctions of antiquity. Poisons are characterized by biologists as harmful substances absorbed by the body, the skin or gut, whereas venoms are injected by a bite or sting, and toxins are created by a function in nature. Most people use the word poison to describe any harmful substance, and to give weight to its dangerous nature. Paracelsus, a Renaissance physician, botanist, and alchemist, once noted, "Everything is poison, there is poison