ABSTRACT
The origins of toxicology appear to be deeply rooted in the history of human civilization. Our ancestors in their quest for food must have attempted to eat a variety of foods of both plant and animal origin and soon recognized that there were harmful as well as beneficial consequences associated with the consumption of such material. The rise of agricultural knowledge has been traced back to ancient times, when humankind made the transition from nomadic hunting/gathering tribes to more settled societies supported by domesticated animal herds and cultivated crops. In terms of archaeological findings, primitive agriculture may have developed as early as 9000-7000 B.C. in the Near East (Garfield, 1990).
