/oss/taxonomy/term/2150/all en /oss/article/history-did-you-know/bottle-jumper <p>The scene was a street corner in London sometime in the 17<sup>th</sup> century. A skeptical crowd had gathered to see if the performer could deliver on his promise to pour whatever drink asked for, be it whisky, wine or beer, from the small barrel he held in his hands. And the conjurer delivered! Spectators approached, and each one was poured the drink they asked for. The trick, with a bottle instead of the barrel, would be repeated over the years by numerous magicians and came to be known as the “Inexhaustible Bottle.” </p> Wed, 31 Aug 2022 20:55:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9217 at /oss /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