/oss/taxonomy/term/177/all en /oss/article/controversial-science-health-history-household-products-toxicity/antimony <p>Picture this. You swallow a little pill, wait until it irritates your intestines enough to expel its contents and then hunt through the expelled excrement to retrieve the pill. Why? So you can use it next time to get rid of the bad humours in your body that are making you sick. How can a pill survive passage through the digestive tract? It can, if it is made of metal, in this case, antimony. Now, don’t go asking the pharmacist for antimony pills.</p> Mon, 18 Apr 2016 19:27:19 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2333 at /oss /oss/article/antimony-metallic-cleanse-middle-ages <p>Picture this. You swallow a little pill, wait until it irritates your intestines enough to expel its contents and then hunt through the expelled excrement to retrieve the pill. Why? So you can use it next time to get rid of the bad humours in your body that are making you sick. How can a pill survive passage through the digestive tract? It can, if it is made of metal, in this case, antimony. Now, don’t go asking the pharmacist for antimony pills.</p> Wed, 15 Feb 2017 19:23:33 +0000 Dr. Joe Schwarcz 1443 at /oss