ABSTRACT
Toxicology, or the study of the mechanisms and eects of compounds deleterious to living systems, began in a sense with the process by which prehistoric peoples learned to distinguish poisonous from edible plants, and similarly, to avoid poisonous or venomous animals as a matter of self-interest. Early societies learned to utilize naturally available materials for a variety of purposes, including medicinal, religious, recreational, and of course, as poisons.
