Poisons and Politics. History of poisoning. A Medieval View of Anchar Yada in Medieval Europe Film
Foods and drinks that are familiar to us can be deadly. And the simplest items contain poison. It turns out that the most strong poisons sometimes they are next to us, and we do not even suspect about it.
Dangerous Poisons
- Methanol, or methyl alcohol is a very dangerous poison. This is explained by the fact that it is easy to confuse it with ordinary wine alcohol, since they are indistinguishable in taste and smell. Counterfeit alcoholic drinks are sometimes made on the basis of methyl alcohol, but without an examination it is impossible to establish the presence of methanol. Unfortunately, the consequences of drinking such drinks are irreversible, at best, a person goes blind. 
Mercury. Everyone at home has the most common item - mercury thermometer. It turns out that if mercury from two or three thermometers is poured into a medium-sized room, then this will already be enough to cause serious poisoning. True, elemental mercury itself is not dangerous, its vapors are dangerous, and it begins to evaporate already at room temperature. In addition to thermometers, the same type of mercury is found in fluorescent lamps. So be careful with them.
Snake poison. There are more than two and a half thousand species of reptiles, but only about 250 species are poisonous among them. The most famous - common vipers, cobras, rattlesnakes, black mambas, small sand snakes.
People have long found out that snake venom is dangerous only when it enters human blood. And, since mankind has been dealing with snakes for many millennia, it is not surprising that it was when studying the effects of snake venom on animals and humans in 1895 that they created the first antidote - anti-snake serum. By the way, there is no universal antidote even in case of poisoning. snake venom, for each species of snakes, its own antitoxin is created - for king cobra- one, for vipers - another, for rattlesnakes - the third.
The fastest poison
There are many poisons, but potassium cyanide is still considered one of the fastest acting. Used since ancient times, it is probably the most famous "spy" poison: many agents in films and books use cyanide in ampoules or tablets. And about such a sign of it as the smell of "bitter almonds", probably everyone read in the wonderful detective stories of Agatha Christie. 
You can get poisoned with cyanide not only by ingestion, but also by inhalation, by touching. Potassium cyanide is found in some plants and foods, as well as cigarettes. It is used in the extraction of gold from ore. Kills cyanide by binding iron in blood cells, thereby preventing them from delivering oxygen to vital organs.
You can determine cyanides using a solution of ferric salts
By the way, they tried to poison Grigory Rasputin with potassium cyanide, but they could not, because they added poison to the sweet pie. Glucose is an antidote for potassium cyanide.
The most accessible poisons
In summer and autumn, the time comes for seasonal mushroom poisoning - by the way, these are the most affordable toxic substances today. The most famous poisonous mushrooms are false mushrooms, death cap, stitches and fly agarics. Most of all they are poisoned by a pale grebe, since it has a lot of varieties, sometimes indistinguishable from edible mushrooms, and one such mushroom can lead to the death of several people. 
Although the Germans have learned how to cook fly agarics in such a way that they do not poison them, it is true that it takes them a lot of time to cook these mushrooms - they boil them for a day. True, the question arises - why do they need fly agaric when you can just take other mushrooms for food? And of course, you need to remember the rules for storing cooked mushrooms, even edible mushrooms can become poisonous if the shelf life is violated.
Ordinary potatoes or bread can also be poisonous. In case of improper storage, the substance solanine accumulates in potatoes, causing poisoning of the body. And bread becomes poisonous if flour was taken to make it, into which cereals infected with ergot got into. We are not talking about fatal poisoning, but it is quite possible to spoil the health of such products.
In addition, there are many household chemicals and fertilizers that can also be poisonous. For example, potassium chloride is the most common fertilizer, but when it enters the bloodstream, it becomes deadly, as potassium ions block the activity of the heart.
most famous poison
IN South America the most famous poison is curare, a poison of plant origin, there are several subspecies of this poison. It causes paralysis respiratory system. Initially, it was used for hunting animals, in the 20th century it was successfully used in medicine. 
There is also strychnine, powder white color, which is sometimes used as part of some drugs (such as heroin and cocaine). Although much more often it is used in the manufacture of pesticides. To obtain this powder, the seeds of the chilibukha tree are taken, whose homeland is Southeast Asia and India.
But the most famous poison is, of course, arsenic, it can be called "royal poison". It has been used since ancient times (its use is attributed to Caligula) to eliminate their enemies and competitors in the struggle for the throne, no matter papal or royal. It's a favorite poison European nobility in the Middle Ages.
The most famous poisoners
The story of the Italian dynasty of Borgia poisoners is unique, who elevated poisoning to almost the rank of art. Their invitations to the feast were feared by everyone without exception. The most famous representatives of this family for their cunning are Pope Alexander VI Borgia, and his children: the son of Cesare, who became a cardinal, and also the daughter of Lucrezia. This family had their own poison, "cantarella", which supposedly contained arsenic, phosphorus and copper salts. It is known that the head of the family himself ultimately paid with his life for his deceit, by mistakenly drinking a bowl of poison prepared by him for another. Source of botulism infection - homemade preparationsOf natural poisons, batrachotoxin is very dangerous, it is secreted by the skin of small but dangerous amphibians - poison dart frogs, fortunately, they can only be found in Colombia. One such frog contains so much poisonous substance that it is enough to destroy several elephants.
In addition, there are radioactive poisons, such as polonium. It acts slowly, but only 1 gram of this substance is needed to destroy one and a half million people. Snake venom, curare, potassium cyanide - they are all inferior to the above poisons.
It's not just snakes that are venomous. As the editors of the site managed to find out, the most poisonous creature on Earth is a jellyfish.
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List of 10 "popular" POISONS ...
Poison is a very popular means of killing in literature. Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes books have developed readers' love for fast-acting, untraceable poisons. But poisons are common not only in literature, there are also real cases use of poisons. Here are a dozen known poisons that have been used to kill people for a long time.
1. Arsenic
Arsenic is called the "King of Poisons" for its invisibility and strength - traces of it were previously impossible to find, so it was often used for murder and in literature. This continued until the invention of the Marsh test, which can be used to find poison in water, food, etc. The “King of Poison” claimed many lives: Napoleon Bonaparte, George III and Simon Bolivar died from this poison. Like belladonna, arsenic was used in the Middle Ages for cosmetic purposes. A few drops of poison made the woman's skin white and pale.
2. Botulinum toxin (Botulinum Toxin)
If you've read the Sherlock Holmes books, you've heard of this poison. Botulinum toxin causes botulism, a disease that causes lethal outcome if not treated in time. Botulism causes muscle paralysis, eventually leading to paralysis of the respiratory system and death. The bacterium enters the body through open wounds or contaminated food. Botulinum toxin is the same substance used in Botox injections.
3. Cyanide
This poison was used in the books of Agatha Christie. Cyanide is very popular (spies use cyanide pills to kill themselves if captured) and there are many reasons for its popularity. First of all: a huge number of substances serve as a source of cyanide - almonds, apple seeds, apricot pit, tobacco smoke, insecticides, pesticides, etc. The murder in this case can be explained by a domestic accident, such as accidental ingestion of a pesticide. A fatal dose of cyanide is 1.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Second, cyanide kills quickly. Depending on the dose, death occurs within 15 minutes. Cyanide in the form of a gas (hydrogen cyanide) was used by Nazi Germany in gas chambers during the Holocaust.
4. Mercury
There are three very dangerous species mercury. Elemental mercury can be found in glass thermometers. It is harmless to the touch, but fatal if inhaled. Inorganic mercury is used in the manufacture of batteries and is only lethal if ingested. Organic mercury is found in fish such as tuna and swordfish (you can not eat more than 170 grams of their meat per week). If you eat these types of fish for too long, the harmful substance can accumulate in the body. A famous death from mercury is that of Amadeus Mozart, who was given mercury tablets to treat syphilis.
5. Polonium
Polonium is a slow-acting radioactive poison for which there is no cure. One gram of polonium can kill about 1.5 million people in a few months. Most famous case polonium poisoning - the murder of former KGB-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko. Remains of polonium were found in his body at a dose 200 times greater than necessary for a fatal outcome. He died within three weeks.
6. Tetrodotoxin (Tetrodotoxin)
This substance is found in sea creatures- Blue-ringed octopus (blue-ringed octopus) and pufferfish (fugu). The octopus is more dangerous, as it deliberately poisons the victim with this poison, from which death occurs within a few minutes. The amount of venom released in one bite is enough to kill 26 adults in a few minutes, and the bites are usually so painless that the victim only realizes they have been bitten when paralysis sets in. pufferfish only dangerous if you intend to eat them. If the puffer fish dish is cooked correctly, then all its poison completely evaporates, and it can be consumed without any consequences, except for the adrenaline rush from the thought that the cook made a mistake when preparing the dish.
7. Dimethylmercury
It is a slow killer, man made. But that's what makes it so much more dangerous. Taking a dose of 0.1 milliliter leads to death. However, the symptoms of poisoning become apparent only after a few months, which greatly complicates the treatment. In 1996, a chemistry teacher at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire dropped a drop of poison on her hand - dimethylmercury passed through a latex glove, symptoms of poisoning appeared four months later, and ten months later she died.
8. Belladonna
This is the favorite poison among girls! Even the name of the plant from which it is obtained comes from the Italian language and means " Beautiful woman". Initially, the plant was used in the Middle Ages for cosmetic purposes - eye drops were made from it, which dilated the pupils, which made women more seductive (at least they thought so). If they were rubbed a little on their cheeks, it would give them a reddish tint, which is now achieved with the help of blush. It seems that the plant is not very scary? In fact, if taken internally, even one leaf can be lethal, which is why it has been used to make poisonous arrowheads. Belladonna berries are the most dangerous - 10 attractive berries can be fatal.
9. Aconite
Aconite is obtained from the wrestler plant. This poison leaves behind only one post-mortem sign - suffocation. The poison causes severe arrhythmia, which eventually leads to suffocation. You can even get poisoned by simply touching the leaves of the plant without gloves, since the substance is absorbed very quickly and easily. Due to the difficulty in finding the remains of this poison in the body, it has become popular with people trying to commit untraceable murder. Despite this, the aconite has its famous victim. Emperor Claudius poisoned his wife Agrippina with aconite in a dish of mushrooms.
10. Hemlock
Hemlock, also known as Omega, is a highly toxic flower native to Europe and South Africa. It was very popular with the ancient Greeks, who used it to kill their prisoners. The fatal dose for an adult is 100 milligrams of omega (about 8 leaves of the plant). Death occurs as a result of paralysis, consciousness remains clear, but the body stops responding and soon the respiratory system fails. by the most famous case poisoning with this poison is the death of the Greek philosopher Socrates. In 399 BC, he was sentenced to death for disrespect for the Greek gods - the sentence was carried out with the help of a concentrated infusion of Hemlock.
A LITTLE HISTORY..
Cantarella - the name of the poison from the Italian. cantarella, an arsenic compound, is an effective toxic agent that causes death within a day. It was made from the entrails of a pig, which were sprinkled with arsenic, dried and ground into a powder that was hard to distinguish from sugar. According to some historical sources, this poison was used by the House of Borgia, namely Lucrezia Borgia.
According to Hugo, Lucrezia, like her father and brothers, used the unique family poison "Kataneya", the name of which comes from the name of their mother, the Spanish courtesan Vanozzi dei Catanei, who presented this poison to the pope.
Unusual "live" poisons
Like millions of years ago, a bizarre ballet of life and death takes place on our planet every day, without stopping its movement for a second. Each time, millions of living beings use all their evolutionary adaptations developed over the centuries just to survive until the next sunrise. Each death does not weaken the species as a whole. Every act of death guards and warns others of the species, and keeps the strongest and fittest alive...
But sometimes death takes on bizarre forms when various neurotoxins come into play. A neurotoxin is a chemical compound that acts strictly on nervous tissue. If the principles of the Geneva Agreement would apply in the animal kingdom, then neurotoxins would be banned. These poisons are amazingly perfect, but terrible and terrible is the death that they cause.
Each such poison has a bizarre scientific name, which we will indicate along with the effects that it causes.
Venom of the Sydney Spider: "Exploding Lungs"
Many types of neurotoxins "turn off" the nervous system, but atracotoxin works exactly the opposite. It stimulates the nervous system so that it begins to work at the limit of its capabilities. Ultimately, the most terrifying consequence of its entry into the body is that the blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation rises incredibly, as a result of which the alveoli of the lungs simply explode, and the person drowns while on solid ground.
And the worst. This poison is completely safe for almost all living beings, and even for mammals. But it works great for primates. Of all the living creatures from which this damned spider should have defended himself, he chose a person. US. Also monkeys, but mostly us.
This particular neurotoxin is found in the Sydney spider, which has only been seen in Sydney, Australia. And this is the most dangerous spider on everything the globe, as its poison can easily kill you in just 15 minutes. To the greatest joy, an antitoxin was developed about 30 years ago, and for three decades there has not been a single recorded case with a fatal outcome. However, this is a reason not to rush to visit Sydney, Australia, as there is a considerable chance to meet this cute spider.
Scorpion Venom: Deadly Convulsions
Dortoxin is found in the South African spitting scorpion and is probably one of the most nasty poisons you could die from. However, do not relax, there are still many discoveries ahead, and it is too early to choose a way to die.
So. When the researchers tested the toxin in mice, it resulted in convulsions, seizures, and hyperactivity that didn't stop until 30 seconds after the mouse died. The worst thing is that it took some 20 nanograms (!) to kill a large animal.
The venom of the spitting scorpion is specific in that it actually consists of three different toxins. Moreover, the scorpion, depending on the victim, can choose the type of poison. The scorpion is called the spitting scorpion because, until the moment of the bite, it “spits out” a certain amount of poison towards the target.
Scientists believe that in this way the scorpion stores the most powerful toxin, which requires a lot of energy to synthesize it. This same small portion of a not-so-lethal toxin large predator can simply scare away, and directly kill small animals (scorpion prey) on the spot, allowing the scorpion to save the most powerful weapon about stock.
Psychedelic toad poisons
Have you ever seen movies where people, after licking a toad, start behaving inappropriately? By the way, this is quite real, and this is how bufotoxin works, consisting of a cocktail of chemicals found on the bodies of certain toads. Among other alkaloids, Bufo toad venom contains 5-MeO-DMT, a psychoactive substance similar to psilocybin and mescaline, collectively known as the "breakfast of God."
Thus, some of the effects reported by those who have tried mescaline and similar products are precisely due to the state of altered consciousness that occurs under the influence of this toxin.
This poison is secreted through the glands on the back of the body. Bufo toad and is simply defense mechanism. You can laugh for a long time, but such a toxin is much more effective than many types of deadly poisons. Unlike neurotoxins, which kill their prey, it has the ability to firmly etch into the memory of a predator, hinting that such toads should not be eaten.
Imagine that you are a predator who decided to dine on such a toad. Imagine an unfortunate predator who, after an attack on a toad, was thrown out of our universe for three hours! How will the animal feel after this? However, if the animal was small, and the portion of the toxin that the frightened toad released was large, the predator may well die.
Poisons of caterpillars of hemorrhagic action
Research on Lonomia (Lonomia obliqua) is still ongoing. Despite the fact that the first case of poisoning by this caterpillar was recorded two decades ago, since then, only officially through its fault, about 500 people have left this world. If that doesn't sound like much, just know that the aforementioned Sydney Spider has only sent 13 people to their graves in the past 100 years.
Researchers still do not know exactly the composition of this devilish cocktail, but they have perfectly studied the consequences of poison entering the human body. One woman who was stung by a caterpillar died of intracranial bleeding. In fact, her skull was filled with blood. There are many similar cases, which is why scientists began to form a certain opinion about the nature of this poison.
Now most of scientific world suggests that the poison acts on prothrombins, preventing blood from clotting. In fact, in this case, one should not speak of a neurotoxin, but of a hemotoxin. As a result, the blood loses its ability to clot, becomes thinner, and a person can die from the slightest accident.
In other words, as a result of incredible hyperemia, your internal organs can simply burst.
Asphyxia: Greetings from the Brazilian Wandering Spider
To be honest, we already have a very special opinion about spiders. Spiders are some of the most cold-blooded killers in the animal kingdom, and if they created a society based on the ability to kill, then the Brazilian wandering spider would be their king. One of the main components of Brazilian poison wandering spider- a neurotoxin named PhTx3.
You can make men happy. This toxin can cause an erection. Very strong. So strong that it will be the last erection in your life, after which you will remain impotent. Laugh, but those who have experienced the effect of the poison on themselves no longer want to laugh.
This effect is called preapism, and is caused by a specific element in a neurotoxin called Tx2-6. From an evolutionary point of view, this spider is just a sophisticated sadist. He does not kill the attacker, but makes him incapable of procreation.
In addition to the incredible strength of the erection, PhTx3 has a much more dangerous effect. It can block calcium channels at muscle synapses, preventing muscles from contracting. Once the effect spreads across the aperture, you're done. In other words, you will simply suffocate.
Muscular paralysis
When you think of animals that can cause a gruesome death, snails are not usually in your top 10. But in vain.
The cone snail is a killer. The complex group of neurotoxins it uses to kill its prey is known as the conotoxin, and is one of the most powerful toxins in the world. The reason cones produce such a powerful toxin is because they need to kill their prey as quickly as possible. After all, they are predators, but predators are slow. The cones shoot a kind of harpoon at the victim, which most often makes the victims of people who like to collect shells.
The danger lies in the fact that there are many varieties of the cone, and each type of snail is toxic to varying degrees. Some sting no more dangerous than a bee, while small and harmless-looking varieties of the cone can easily kill an adult. Cone toxins are unique not only in their strength, but also in their incredible variety. Just imagine the following: in total, about 100 varieties of these cute snails are known.
Each subspecies can have up to 500 different varieties of poison, resulting in 50,000 variants of the deadly toxin! To such an amount it is simply impossible to develop an antidote. The difficulty is that each such toxin acts differently. For example, one of its varieties has an analgesic effect. Only when you begin to die, you will understand how serious everything is, only this will not help you in any way.
Heart attacks from frogs
There is a good chance that you are familiar with amazing frogs, with the mucus of which the Indians of the Amazon lubricate the tips of their arrows. Some of them are so poisonous that if you have the slightest scratch on the exposed skin that the frog has come into contact with, you can die. But the most amazing thing is not even that. More surprising is how frogs manage to synthesize that batrachotoxin, which is such a dangerous poison.
In most cases, the glands that are responsible for producing the toxin are found in every venomous creature on the planet. They work like a self-sustaining factory, synthesizing the toxin as a result of complex chemical processes. In these same frogs, the presence of the toxin depends on what they eat. The body of these frogs is designed in such a way that they store this toxin, which comes to them with food in the same way that our body stores fat or carbohydrates. And therein lies the uniqueness of these amazing creatures. They can be deadly, or they can be completely defenseless.
Professional amphibian scientists are well aware that these frogs, when raised in captivity, are completely harmless. Even those frogs that have been caught in the wild, after some period of keeping them in captivity on a simple diet, completely lose their toxic properties. But if such a frog is released into wild environment, after a while it will become poisonous again.
And this is good news for those terrarium lovers who like to keep these creatures in captivity. A wild frog can contain up to 13,000 micrograms of the toxin, while only 130 micrograms is enough to kill one person.
deadly jellyfish
Jellyfish Irukandj is one of the most common deadly jellyfish in the World Ocean. These jellyfish are responsible for at least 70 confirmed deaths. They live off the coast of Australia, and are so small that many people, even when stung by her, never noticed anything. People who got off happily only learn about what bit them from a medical professional.
The sting of this jellyfish (by the way, it is no larger than the nail of the little finger of a child) contains such a strong poison that it can kill an adult healthy man. The strength of its poison is so great for exactly the same reason as the cone snails. They are too slow to follow wounded prey, and therefore need the most effective means of killing them. However, it is for this reason that sea snakes are hundreds of times more poisonous than any of their terrestrial relatives.
There is just one small nuisance here. A shrimp or a small fish will indeed die instantly, while a person will have to experience a whole bunch of painful sensations before death. Wikipedia states: “Excruciating muscle spasms, severe back and kidney pain, burning sensation in hands and face, headaches, nausea, restlessness, sweating, vomiting, increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as a sense of impending doom.”
The feeling of impending doom... agree, it's just awful. Not only to suffer, but also to know that you will definitely die ...
poisonous bird
If you don’t talk for a long time on the topic of why the bird suddenly became poisonous, then you can immediately say that it gets poison from the same place where the frogs described above get it from. So why are we listing this again? First of all, homobatrachotoxin is a neurotoxin found in bicolor pitohu, which can rightly be called a "damn bird". The bicolored pitohu is the first venomous bird discovered, although several more species have been found since its discovery.
Yes, it's really weird. Remember how we said that poison frogs get their toxin from food? Okay, the bicolor pitohoo lives in Papua New Guinea, about 10,000 miles across. Pacific Ocean from Central America and South America (the main habitats of poisonous frogs). But despite this, the bird was able to develop exactly the same ability to accumulate this toxin (incredibly rare), related to batrachotoxins.
But this is all the more strange when you consider that their diets are completely different! Yes, and to assume that a completely identical capacity for accumulation will develop completely unique look, and even in animals completely different classes and families? However, this is true.
Deadly Delicacy: Fugu Fish
Fugu fish is widely known all over the world. Moreover, she received fame not at all for her amazing ability inflate like a balloon, being pulled out of the water, but for amazing sushi that can easily send you to the forefathers. The toxin that is responsible for this mess is called tetradotoxin. The name was taken from Latin name this fish.
And we again return to the problem of the origin of this poison in the body of an animal. The same neurotoxin, which is 100 times more potent than the infamous potassium cyanide, is found in the blue ringed octopus, several species of newts, and many sea snails. So the toxin is actually produced by bacteria that have developed symbiotic relationships with all these different marine animals. For various reasons, these animals have evolved to be able to coexist with this bacteria in a mutually beneficial relationship.
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The Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus famously said: “All substances are poisons; there is not one that is not. The right dose distinguishes the poison, ”and he is right. Even the water's in too in large numbers will kill you. However, some substances require very small amounts to cause death - sometimes enough to drop a drop onto a gloved hand - so they were originally placed in the class of poisons. From flowers to heavy metals, from man-made gases to real poison, here are the 25 most dangerous poisons known to mankind.
25. Cyanide can be in the form of a colorless gas or crystals, but in any case it is quite dangerous. It smells like bitter almonds, and once ingested, it causes symptoms such as headache, nausea, rapid breathing and increased heart rate, and weakness in just a few minutes. If left untreated, cyanide kills because the cells are deprived of oxygen. And yes, cyanide can be obtained from apple seeds, but don't worry if you eat a few. You will need to eat about ten kernels before you have enough cyanide in your system to provide Negative influence. Please don't do this.
24. Hydrofluoric acid (Hydrofluoric acid) is a poison used, among other things, for the production of Teflon. In a liquid state, this substance can easily seep through the skin into the bloodstream. In the body, it reacts with calcium and can even destroy the underlying bone. The worst thing is that at first the contact does not cause any pain, which leaves more time and opportunity for serious damage.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
23. Arsenic is a natural crystalline semi-metal and perhaps one of the most famous and common poisons used as a murder weapon in the late 19th century. However, its use for such purposes began in the mid-1700s. Arsenic poisoning can lead to death in a few hours or a few days. The symptoms of poisoning are vomiting and diarrhea, which made it difficult to distinguish arsenic poisoning from dysentery or cholera 120 years ago.
Photo: maxpixel
22. Belladonna or Deadly nightshade is a very poisonous herb (flower) with a very romantic story. An alkaloid called atropine makes it poisonous, and the whole plant is poisonous, with the root containing the most poison and the berries the least. However, even two eaten are enough to kill a child. Some people use belladonna for relaxation as a hallucinogen, and in victorian times women often put belladonna tincture in their eyes to dilate the pupils and make their eyes shine. Before death, under the influence of belladonna, you may develop a seizure, increase your pulse, and become confused. Don't play with belladonna, kids.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
21. Carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) is an odorless, tasteless, colorless substance and slightly less dense than air. It will poison and then kill you. Part of the reason carbon monoxide is so dangerous is that it is difficult to detect; sometimes referred to as " silent killer". This substance prevents the body from delivering oxygen to where it is needed, for example, to the cells in order to keep them alive and working. Early symptoms carbon monoxide poisoning is like the flu without fever: headache, weakness, drowsiness, lethargy, insomnia, nausea, and confusion. Luckily, you can purchase a carbon monoxide detector from just about every specialty store.
Photo: wikimedia commons
20. The deadliest tree in the whole North America grows in Florida. Otherwise, where else would he grow? The Manchineel Tree or Beach Apple Tree has small green fruits that look like apples and are likely to taste sweet. Don't eat them. And don't touch that tree. Do not sit next to or under it, and pray that you will never be under it in the wind. If the juice gets on your skin, it will blister, and if it gets in your eyes, you may go blind. The juice is contained in both the leaves and the bark, so do not touch them. Probably, the juice of this plant killed the conquistador Ponce de Leon, who discovered Florida.
Photo: nps.gov
19. Fluorine is a pale yellow gas that is highly poisonous, corrosive, and will react with almost anything. For fluorine to be lethal, its concentration of 0.000025% is sufficient. It causes blindness and suffocates the victim like mustard gas, but its effects are much worse.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
18. The pesticide used is Compound 1080, also known as sodium fluoroacetate. It occurs naturally in several plant species in Africa, Brazil and Australia. The terrible truth about this odorless and tasteless deadly poison is that there is no antidote for it. Oddly enough, the bodies of those who died from ingesting this poison remain poisonous for another whole year.
Photo: lizenzhinweisgenerator.de
17. The most dangerous man-made poison is called dioxin, and it only takes 50 micrograms to kill an adult human. It is the third most toxic poison, known to science, 60 times more toxic than cyanide.
Photo: wikimedia commons
16. Dimethylmercury (a neurotoxin) is a terrible poison because it can penetrate most standard protective equipment, such as thick latex gloves. This is exactly what happened to a female chemist named Karen Wetterhahn in 1996. A single drop of a colorless liquid fell on the gloved hand, and that was it. Symptoms started FOUR MONTHS later, and six months later she was already dead.
Photo: wikipedia.org
15. Aconite (Wrestler) also known as "monk's hood", "wolfsbane", "leopard venom", "women's curse", "devil's helmet", "poison queen" and "blue rocket". In fact, this is a whole genus, including more than 250 herbs, and most of them are extremely poisonous. The flowers can be either blue or yellow, and while some of the plants are used for traditional medicines, they have also been used as a murder weapon over the last decade.
Photo: maxpixel
14. Toxin found in poisonous mushrooms is called amatoxin. It acts on liver and kidney cells and kills them within a few days. It sometimes also affects the heart and the central nervous system. There is a treatment, but the result is not guaranteed. The poison is resistant to temperature and cannot be disposed of by drying. Therefore, if you are not 100% sure that they are safe, do not eat mushrooms.
Photo: maxpixel
13. Anthrax is actually caused by a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis. What makes you sick is not so much the bacteria as the toxin they produce when they enter the body. Bacillus Anthracis can enter your system through the skin, mouth, or respiratory tract. The death rate from airborne anthrax is as high as 75% even with treatment.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
12. Hemlock plant - classic poisonous plant, which was regularly used for execution in ancient Greece, including for the philosopher Socrates. Several varieties exist, with water hemlock being the most common plant in North America. You can die eating it, but people still do it, believing that hemlock is a perfectly acceptable salad ingredient. Water hemlock causes painful and severe convulsions, convulsions and tremors. Those who survive may subsequently suffer from amnesia, or other long-term problems. The water hemlock is considered the deadliest plant in North America. Serious note: keep an eye on your children, even older ones, when they are out and about. Do not eat anything unless you are 100% sure it is safe.
Photo: flickr.com
11. Strychnine is commonly used to destroy small mammals and birds, and is often the main ingredient in rat poison. In large doses, strychnine can also be fatal to humans. It can be swallowed, inhaled, or it enters the body through the skin. The first symptoms are painful muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting. Muscle contractions eventually lead to suffocation. Death can occur within half an hour. This is a very unpleasant way to die, for both man and rat.
Photo: flickr.com
10. Most of those who understand such things consider mitotoxin the most powerful marine toxin. It is found in a dinoflagellate algae called Gambierdiscus toxicus, and if those words confuse you, just think of deadly plankton to get the gist. For mice, meiototoxin is the most toxic of the non-protein toxins.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
9. Mercury - the silvery liquid in old school thermometers - is a heavy metal that is quite toxic to humans if inhaled or touched. If touched, it can cause your skin to flake off, and if you inhale mercury vapor, it will eventually turn off your central nervous system and you will die. Before then, you are likely to experience kidney failure, memory loss, brain damage, and blindness.
Photo: flickr.com
8. Polonium is a radioactive chemical element and has been implicated in the deaths of everyone from Yasser Arafat to Russian dissidents. Its most common form is 250,000 times more toxic than hydrocyanic acid. It is radioactive and emits alpha particles (they are not compatible with organic tissues). Alpha particles cannot penetrate the skin, so polonium must be ingested or injected into the victim. However, if this happens, the result will not be long in coming. According to one theory, a gram of polonium 210 could kill up to ten million people if injected or ingested, causing first radiation poisoning and then cancer.
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7. Suicide tree or Cerbera odollam works by disturbing the natural rhythm of the heart and often causing death. A member of the same family as Oleander, the plant has often been used as a "test of innocence" in Madagascar. An estimated 3,000 people a year died from consuming Cerberus venom before the practice was outlawed in 1861. (If you survived, you were found not guilty. If you died, it didn't matter because you were dead.)
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6. Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum and is an incredibly powerful neurotoxin. It causes paralysis, which can lead to death. You may know botulinum toxin by its commercial name, Botox. Yes, this is what the doctor injects into your mom's forehead to make it less wrinkled (or into the neck to help with migraines) to cause muscle paralysis.
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5. Pufferfish is considered a delicacy in some countries, where it is called Fugu; it is a dish that some are literally ready to die for. Why? Because the insides of fish contain tetrodotoxin, and in Japan, about 5 people a year die from eating pufferfish as a result of improper preparation. But gourmets persist.
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4. Gas Sarin will give you the opportunity to experience the worst moments in life. Your chest tightens, harder, harder, and then... it relaxes because you're dead. Although Sarin was outlawed in 1995, it has not stopped being used in terrorist attacks.
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3. golden frog"Poison Arrow" is tiny, charming and quite dangerous. Just one frog the size of the end of your thumb contains enough neurotoxin to kill ten people! A dose equal to about two grains of salt is enough to kill an adult. This is why some tribes in the Amazon used poison to coat the tips of their hunting arrows. One touch of such an arrow will kill you within minutes! Here's a great rule: if you see a frog and it's yellow, blue, green, or red, don't touch it.
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2. Ricin is more deadly than anthrax. This substance is obtained from castor beans, the same plant from which we obtain castor oil. This poison is especially toxic if inhaled, and a pinch of it will kill you very quickly.
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1. Codenamed "Purple Possum", belonging to the VX group, the most powerful nerve gas on Earth. It is completely man-made and we can thank the United Kingdom for that. It was technically banned in 1993 and the US allegedly destroyed its stocks. Other countries are "working on it." Which we should totally trust because governments are known to be 100% honest about these things.
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06.07.2015
In times of palace intrigue, poison was considered the most elegant way to get even with enemies. It was during this period that the poisoners achieved incredible results. Alchemists developed the most unexpected compositions. Sometimes, it was simply impossible to recognize the poison, which means that there was no question of an antidote. It happened that a drop of a deadly potion could decide the fate of not only one person, but the whole country. Today, the history of poisoning looks like medieval savagery. However, thanks to historical facts And fiction mankind knows at least 10 deadly poisons, which in the past were considered very dangerous weapons.
10. Belladonna
In pursuit of beauty, a woman cannot be stopped even deadly poisons. Due to its popularity among fashionistas, this poisonous plant received a poetic name - belladonna. And, as you know, pretty women in Italy are called bella donna. And it was the Italians who instilled the juice of this plant into their eyes, which made the pupils greatly dilated. So the eyes acquired brilliance, and the look became deep and hypnotic. The juice was also rubbed on the cheeks to provide a blush. Often, the poison caused dry mouth, difficulty breathing, and rapid heartbeat. It seems that Russian beauties also resorted to this remedy, since in Russia the plant was called "belladonna". In the Middle Ages, belladonna was used to make a cream that was rubbed into the skin of alleged witches. Under the influence of the toxin, poor women hallucinated, and, delirious, confessed to all non-existent sins. More often the poor things died from paralysis of the respiratory center. Those who managed to survive went to the fire. Today, the use of belladonna extract is not as dramatic. In pharmacology, it is used in the study of the fundus and for the treatment of asthma, gastritis and kidney stones.
9. Botulinum toxin
One of the most dangerous poisons Botulinum toxin is considered to be produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. Most often, the development of pathogenic flora is facilitated by a violation of the technology for preparing canned fish or meat. Botulinum toxin is not even scary hydrochloric acid, because in the human stomach, he feels very comfortable. He provokes a crash nervous system and respiratory paralysis. As a result, a person dies from suffocation. At the beginning of the 20th century, this dangerous poison regarded as a powerful biological weapons. But fortunately, in this direction, interest in botulinum toxin has been exhausted. Moreover, all developments in this vein are prohibited by a special UN convention. Unexpectedly, in the 70s of the twentieth century, the properties of botulinum toxin came in handy in medicine, or rather, in ophthalmic practice. Introduced in microscopic doses, it helps patients suffering from blepharospasm. A little later, cosmetology became interested in the miraculous properties of this toxin. This is how Botox was born. Several precise injections provide temporary paralysis of mimic muscles, which gives a lasting effect in the fight against mimic wrinkles. Interestingly, migraines are treated in exactly the same way.
8. Batrachotoxin
Batrachotoxin is found in the glands of some species of poison dart frogs. Meet poisonous species dart frog can be in Colombia. These frogs have bright color, as if signaling a potential danger. A small scratch on the skin of a person or animal is enough for the poison to enter the bloodstream. The victim dies in less than 10 minutes from cardiac arrest. An effective antidote for batrachotoxin has not yet been found. The Indians of South America knew that certain types of frogs produced the poison of death. To make their weapon (the blowpipe) even more reliable, they ran the tip of the dart across the back of the frog.
7. Cantarella
For history buffs, the odious Borgia family is primarily associated with their manic passion for all kinds of poisons. So, Rodrigo de Borgia went down in history not as Pope Alexander VI, but under the nickname "Satan's pharmacist." It must be said that his lifestyle was absolutely contrary to his high rank. Debauchery and orgy reigned at the court of Pope Alexander VI. With numerous objectionable, he dealt with the help of poison. And he was very successful in this endeavor. He invented a unique composition of the poison, called "Cantarella". The infernal mixture consisted of arsenic, copper salts and phosphorus. The ways in which Borgia injected poison into the victim's blood are also amazing. So, he offered the guest to open with a key, on the surface of which a poisoned thorn was hidden, one of the rooms of his house. Or he could simply prick the victim with a poisoned needle in the crowd. The most terrible, but also elegant way of poisoning was the numerous Borgia rings. Some of them had secret containers for poison, which made it possible to discreetly pour the potion into a glass of wine. Others had a poisoned spike hidden in them, which allowed them to kill the victim with a handshake. It is said that this method was often used illegitimate daughter Rodrigo, Lucrezia Borgia. Ironically, Rodrigo de Borgia died of poisoning. They say that he mistakenly drank poisoned wine, which was intended for objectionable cardinals.
6. Strychnine
Perhaps, among writers, strychnine is the most popular of those described here. 10 deadly poisons. So, in The Sign of Four, Sherlock Holmes investigates the murder with strychnine, Agatha Christie, H. G. Wells, Jack London and Stephen King did not ignore this poison. Strychnine is obtained from the seeds of the chilibuga plant, the so-called emetic nuts. The poison has a strong stimulating effect on the central nervous system, up to terrible convulsions. However, for therapeutic purposes, this substance is used to stimulate various human systems and organs. It is noteworthy that strychnine, in turn, is an effective antidote for barbiturate poisoning. There is a version that Alexander the Great was poisoned with strychnine, and his jealous wife “treated” him with poison.
5. Ricin
Castor oil is extracted from castor beans, without which no doctor could do without in the 19th century. This medicine is effective as a laxative and as an antiseptic. But both the beans and the stems of the plant contain a dangerous poison - ricin. It is also found in oil, but is easily destroyed by steam, so castor oil is not toxic. What can not be said about ricin, which is 6 times more toxic than potassium cyanide. Once in the blood, it causes vomiting, dehydration, stomach and intestinal bleeding. leaving the poisoned one waiting painful death after 5-7 days. But even if the victim manages to survive, irreparable damage will be done to his health, since ricin can destroy tissue proteins. In 1978, Bulgarian dissident Georgy Markov was poisoned with ricin. The poison got into the bloodstream through an injection with a specially designed umbrella. Rumor has it that this is the work of the secret services. Because ricin is relatively easy to obtain, there is a danger that it could be used by terrorist groups. Thus, traces of ricin were found at the destroyed al-Qaeda base. And in 2013, letters with ricin were sent to the President of the United States and two other dignitaries. The tragedy was avoided, the letters did not reach the addressees.
4. Curare
Many deadly poisons in the civilized world have been discovered by accident. So, at the beginning of the 17th century, while traveling in South America, the Englishman Walter Raleigh saw how the local Indians were hunting. The Indians went to the prey with a bow and arrows. Raleigh noticed that, despite the imperfect weapons, the hunt was incredibly productive. Even an inaccurate hit stopped the animal, and the Indians were not left without hunting trophy. It turned out that the tips of their arrows were moistened with curare. The natives extracted this substance from the bark of a plant that scientists would later call Strychnos toxifera. The curiosity of the researcher got the better of common sense, and Raleigh, scratching the skin, dripped a couple of drops of the composition into the wound. He instantly lost consciousness, and then almost died. Curare poison is a strong muscle relaxant, that is, it provokes muscle relaxation. Now it is clear why the prey of the Indians, even scratched by an arrow, abruptly stopped and fell dead. The animal simply suffocated as a result of paralysis of the respiratory system. Despite the fact that the meat, in fact, was poisoned, the Indians ate it without fear. The fact is that curare poison is active only when it enters the blood, but through gastrointestinal tract it doesn't work. Today, derivatives of this substance are used in medicine to relax muscles. Curare is also one of the antidotes for strychnine.
3. Potassium cyanide
Most readers of Agatha Christie detective stories have never dealt with cyanide in their lives, but they know that it smells like bitter almonds. This fast-acting poison is dangerous because it binds iron in human blood cells. As a result, oxygen cannot reach the vital organs. It can enter the body not only by ingestion, but also with inhaled air, as well as through the pores of the skin when touched. Potassium cyanide crystals look like sugar, but they have no taste, and quickly dissolve in water. For humans, a dose of 0.12 g is considered lethal. Due to its speed and ease of use, potassium cyanide went down in history as the poison of death for many Nazi criminals of the times Nazi Germany. Having bitten through the ampoule with cyanide, Hitler himself managed to avoid punishment.
2. Tetrodotoxin
Despite the fact that tetrodotoxin is found in the body of a number of goby fish, blue-ringed octopus, some types of crabs, frogs and octopuses, puffer fish brought him fame. In Japan, a dish made from it is a fairly popular delicacy. And this is despite the fact that fish meat contains a high dose of poison. Cooked by a professional chef, it becomes harmless to humans. However, the price of a cook's mistake is the life of a gourmet. More recently, the cook, through whose fault a person died, was obliged to eat a poisonous dish himself. It was also possible to wash away the shame by ritual suicide. And although such retribution motivated the cook to be extremely attentive, in 1958, culinary specialists began to teach this skill on special courses. At the end of which a license to operate is issued. But even such a serious approach cannot insure against poisoning. Tetrodotoxin is a real poison of death for gourmets. Every year, up to two dozen people die in the world who are unlucky with a cook. There is no antidote for tetrodotoxin, a person dies as a result of paralysis of the respiratory tract. Doctors do not fight poison, but only wait for the end of its action, while providing artificial ventilation of the patient's lungs.
1. Arsenic
Of the 10 deadly poisons, it was arsenic that was most often used as the main weapon of quiet palace coups. That is why it is also called royal poison. There is a version that with the help of arsenic, Catherine de Medici killed her own son. Whether she did it intentionally or by mistake, when the poison was intended for another, is not known for certain. One way or another, a book about falconry fell into the hands of the reigning king of France, Charles IX. Passionate hunter, he began to read with interest. But the corners of the book somehow stuck together, and in order to turn the page, the king had to moisten the tip of his finger with his own saliva. Page after page, Karl involuntarily licked the arsenic that had soaked the corners of the sheets from the tip of his finger. Very soon the king felt ill, and then died in terrible agony. According to historians, this dangerous poison also became the cause of Napoleon's death. It was found out recently, thanks to the preserved lock of hair of the disgraced emperor. The content of arsenic in them went through the roof. Perhaps Napoleon's enemies were too afraid of his triumphant return to the throne, and found a way to protect themselves. The thing is that arsenic is able to accumulate in the body, this allows you to kill the victim gradually. And it is important for the poisoner to remain above suspicion. In addition, the symptoms of arsenic poisoning are similar to those of cholera. From what long time it was impossible to establish and prove that the person died precisely from arsenic poisoning. And only in the XX century, scientists in Europe were able to find a way to determine this poison. Despite its high toxicity, in the 19th century, women of fashion regularly took small doses of arsenic in order to achieve a noble pallor of the skin. It is quite clear that in such cases colossal harm was inflicted on health, but “such a trifle” could not stop the beauties of that time.
It is difficult to say which of the poisons is considered the most dangerous, because they are all equally deadly. This means that they pose a threat to life to an equal extent. But there is no absolute evil in the world, and even deadly poisons in small doses sometimes become medicines.
Poison is a very popular means of killing in literature. Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes books have developed readers' love for fast-acting, untraceable poisons. But poisons are common not only in the literature, there are real cases of using poisons. Here are a dozen known poisons that have been used to kill people for a long time.
10. Hemlock Hemlock, also known as Omega, is a highly toxic flower native to Europe and South Africa. It was very popular with the ancient Greeks, who used it to kill their prisoners. The fatal dose for an adult is 100 milligrams of omega (about 8 leaves of the plant). Death occurs as a result of paralysis, consciousness remains clear, but the body stops responding and soon the respiratory system fails. The most famous case of poisoning with this poison is the death of the Greek philosopher Socrates. In 399 BC, he was sentenced to death for disrespect for the Greek gods - the sentence was carried out with the help of a concentrated infusion of Hemlock.
9. Aconite
Aconite is obtained from the wrestler plant. This poison leaves behind only one post-mortem sign - suffocation. The poison causes severe arrhythmia, which eventually leads to suffocation. You can even get poisoned by simply touching the leaves of the plant without gloves, since the substance is absorbed very quickly and easily. Due to the difficulty in finding the remains of this poison in the body, it has become popular with people trying to commit untraceable murder. Despite this, the aconite has its famous victim. Emperor Claudius poisoned his wife Agrippina with aconite in a dish of mushrooms.
8. Belladonna
This is the favorite poison among girls! Even the name of the plant from which it is obtained comes from the Italian language and means "Beautiful Woman". Initially, the plant was used in the Middle Ages for cosmetic purposes - eye drops were made from it, which dilated the pupils, which made women more seductive (at least they thought so). If they were rubbed a little on their cheeks, it would give them a reddish tint, which is now achieved with the help of blush. It seems that the plant is not very scary? In fact, if taken internally, even one leaf can be lethal, which is why it has been used to make poisonous arrowheads. Belladonna berries are the most dangerous - 10 attractive berries can be fatal.
7. Dimethylmercury
It is a slow killer, man made. But that's what makes it so much more dangerous. Taking a dose of 0.1 milliliter leads to death. However, the symptoms of poisoning become apparent only after a few months, which greatly complicates the treatment. In 1996, a chemistry teacher at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire dropped a drop of poison on her hand - dimethylmercury passed through a latex glove, symptoms of poisoning appeared four months later, and ten months later she died.
6. Tetrodotoxin (Tetrodotoxin)
This substance is found in marine creatures - blue-ringed octopus (blue-ringed octopus) and pufferfish (fugu). The octopus is more dangerous, as it deliberately poisons the victim with this poison, from which death occurs within a few minutes. The amount of venom released in one bite is enough to kill 26 adults in a few minutes, and the bites are usually so painless that the victim only realizes they have been bitten when paralysis sets in. Pufferfish are only dangerous if you intend to eat them. If the puffer fish dish is cooked correctly, then all its poison completely evaporates, and it can be consumed without any consequences, except for the adrenaline rush from the thought that the cook made a mistake when preparing the dish.
5. Polonium
Polonium is a slow-acting radioactive poison for which there is no cure. One gram of polonium can kill about 1.5 million people in a few months. The most famous case of polonium poisoning is the murder of former KGB-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko. Remains of polonium were found in his body at a dose 200 times greater than necessary for a fatal outcome. He died within three weeks.
4. Mercury
There are three very dangerous types of mercury. Elemental mercury can be found in glass thermometers. It is harmless to the touch, but fatal if inhaled. Inorganic mercury is used in the manufacture of batteries and is only lethal if ingested. Organic mercury is found in fish such as tuna and swordfish (you can not eat more than 170 grams of their meat per week). If you eat these types of fish for too long, the harmful substance can accumulate in the body. A famous death from mercury is that of Amadeus Mozart, who was given mercury tablets to treat syphilis.
3. Cyanide
This poison was used in the books of Agatha Christie. Cyanide is very popular (spies use cyanide pills to kill themselves if captured) and there are many reasons for its popularity. First of all: a huge number of substances serve as a source of cyanide - almonds, apple seeds, apricot pit, tobacco smoke, insecticides, pesticides, etc. The murder in this case can be explained by a domestic accident, such as accidental ingestion of a pesticide. A fatal dose of cyanide is 1.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Second, cyanide kills quickly. Depending on the dose, death occurs within 15 minutes. Cyanide in the form of a gas (hydrogen cyanide) was used by Nazi Germany in gas chambers during the Holocaust.
2. Botulinum toxin (Botulinum Toxin)
If you've read the Sherlock Holmes books, you've heard of this poison. Botulinum toxin causes botulism, a disease that is fatal if left untreated. Botulism causes muscle paralysis, eventually leading to paralysis of the respiratory system and death. The bacterium enters the body through open wounds or contaminated food. Botulinum toxin is the same substance used in Botox injections.
1. Arsenic
Arsenic is called the "King of Poisons" for its invisibility and strength - traces of it were previously impossible to find, so it was often used for murder and in literature. This continued until the invention of the Marsh test, which can be used to find poison in water, food, etc. The “King of Poison” claimed many lives: Napoleon Bonaparte, George III and Simon Bolivar died from this poison. Like belladonna, arsenic was used in the Middle Ages for cosmetic purposes. A few drops of poison made the woman's skin white and pale.