Toxicology

The study of the effects of hazardous amounts of chemicals on living organisms is called toxicology. Included in this branch of medicine are the symptoms, treatments, and detection of dangerous levels of chemicals present, but primarily, toxicology is focused on human poisoning. In simple terms, toxicology is the science of poisons and toxins.

Theophrastus Phillipus Auroleus Bombastus von Hohenheim (1493 - 1541), or more commonly known as Paracelsus and considered by many as The Father of Modern Toxicology, declared that living beings are constantly open to chemicals. Poisoning occurs when a living being is exposed to chemicals that have reached unsafe dosages. Hence the maxim, “the dose makes the poison”. Paracelsus was also the first person who elaborated on the dose-response relationship of toxic substances.
As a science, toxicology is an interaction of chemistry and biology, since the field deals with chemicals and its effects on a living organism. Today, there are several sub-branches of modern toxicology; each has its own specific area of concentration. Several sub-branches include:

• Clinical Toxicology
• Forensic Toxicology
• Industrial Toxicology
• Environmental Toxicology
• Biochemical Toxicology
• Molecular Toxicology
• Product Development Toxicology
• Regulatory Toxicology

Technological advances in various fields have allowed the creation of synthetic toxins, which, according to Rachel Carson, are more difficult to deal with than natural toxins because of their unique structures and compositions.