ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on drugs and poisons that cause physiological effects that range from therapeutic and beneficial to toxic, causing impairment or intoxication. Historically, one of the first delineations made was between plant-based drugs and mineral-based ones. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) was first synthesized in the 1800s by the Bayer Company, but the active ingredient is found in willow leaves and bark. The most common plant-based drugs are chemically classified as alkaloids. These substances were originally called “vegetable bases” since they were extracted from plants and the extracts were found to be basic or alkaline. Physical form is another way to classify substances. Most are solids, but there are liquid toxins, such as ethanol (the alcohol in beverages such as wine), methanol (wood alcohol), and the element mercury, which is a liquid. Cyanide (HCN) is a gas, as is the arsine form of arsenic (AsH3) and carbon monoxide (CO).
