/oss/taxonomy/term/495/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-history/different-twist-dose-makes-poison <p>Mithridates VI ruled the ancient Asian kingdom of Pontus in the first century. The king was terrified of being poisoned—not an unreasonable worry, given that assassins at the time were adept at using plant and animal toxins to dispatch enemies. But Mithridates was determined not to be done in by poison hemlock, henbane, snake venom or any other such poison. He had an idea: Why not try to protect himself by taking small amounts of poisons to develop a tolerance to larger doses? Today we know that it is possible to develop immunity to substances; after all, that’s how allergy shots work.</p> Wed, 08 Mar 2023 16:00:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9428 at /oss /oss/article/pseudoscience/evil-eye <p>I must admit I’m not sure if the woman is just an intellectual simpleton or a clever charlatan preying on the gullible.  I suspect the former.  In any case, here is the story.  Upon invitation, and for a fee, this peculiar character travels from the Middle East to North America to rid people of the effects of the Evil Eye.  Evil what, you ask?  As featured in many cultures, the Evil Eye is a look directed at some unfortunate person, resulting in bad luck or outright harm.  The perpetrator is usually believed to possess some sort of supernatural power, although in some cultures an envious pe</p> Fri, 04 Feb 2022 21:47:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9017 at /oss /oss/article/history/chemical-witchcraft-salem <p>Could there be a more interesting place to visit on Halloween than Salem, Massachusetts?  The town's stores are filled with witch memorabilia, witches are ready to tell fortunes and a sound and light show at the Witch Museum grimly portrays one of the most disturbing events in American history. </p> Thu, 28 Oct 2021 17:30:50 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8908 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/havana-syndrome-or-case-eliminating-implausible <p>The story of Havana syndrome has acquired mythical qualities in its telling. In late 2016 and early 2017, members of the American embassy in Havana, Cuba, started to report debilitating symptoms and strange occurrences. An incapacitating sound, often coming from a single direction, was heard by some but not others, waking them up in the middle of the night. A sensation of intense pressure was felt in the ear. Vertigo and nausea were some of the early symptoms. Then came the difficulty concentrating, the memory problems, the sleep disturbances in some of the victims.</p> Sat, 09 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8895 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/how-do-you-know <p>That is the question a student asked me after I had just finished a lecture on toxicology in which I had described the problem of cyanide poisoning by cassava, a tuber similar to the potato. With some varieties of cassava, a staple in some parts of Africa, there’s an issue. If not properly processed, it can harbour a lethal amount of cyanide.</p> Thu, 02 Sep 2021 22:07:01 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8834 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/ricin-emerges-shadows-again <p>Ricin is in the news because this potentially potent poison was supposedly detected in a letter addressed to President Trump. For me, this brings back memories of my last visit to London when I made a point of going to Waterloo station. I wasn’t interested in taking a train, I just wanted to stand at the bus stop right in front of the station. I wanted to see with my own eyes the famous spot where one of the most ingenious chemical crimes in history was perpetrated.</p> Wed, 23 Sep 2020 18:49:07 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8421 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/no-bleach-isnt-gargling-or-washing-fruit <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-no-bleach-isnt-for-gargling-or-washing-fruit/wcm/4e4d08a6-b373-47ba-9446-d7932fd95a5d/">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Wed, 17 Jun 2020 16:43:01 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8294 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-pseudoscience-technology/how-distrust-and-coincidences-empower-alex-jones-our-brain <p>We all have a tiny Alex Jones in our brain. When we forget he’s there, it’s easy to mock the belief that 5G waves are causing our current viral pandemic. But with telecommunications masts on fire overseas, it’s a reminder that irrational beliefs can lead to dangerous acts in the real world. Because if you did think that a pandemic that is affecting our way of life was actually caused by cell towers and that politicians were in denial about it because they wanted to please the telecommunications industry, wouldn’t you take action?</p> Fri, 24 Apr 2020 13:39:27 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8227 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science-you-asked/what-hormesis <p>Just about every textbook of toxicology pays homage to Paracelsus, the sixteenth century alchemist. Why? Because he introduced the idea that “only the dose makes the poison.” It makes no sense to talk about the toxicity of a substance, Paracelsus said, without talking about the extent of exposure. A high dose can be lethal, but minute amounts of the same substance may be perfectly safe. This really is the approach authorities take today to determine the toxicity of substances to which we are likely to be exposed.</p> Sat, 25 Jan 2020 00:21:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8092 at /oss /oss/article/antibiotic-prophylaxis-and-dentistry <p>As most dentists can attest, the mouth can be a scary place. Despite impassioned assurances from patients, we know that not all flossers are created equal. Lurking in this often-hostile environment are all kinds of nasties including bacteria, fungi and viruses. While some microorganisms in the mouth are described as “good,'' others…. “not so much.” Among these pathogenic villains are certain bacteria that when allowed to thrive wreak all kinds of havoc like bad breath, cavities and bleeding gums.</p> <p><b>History</b></p> Wed, 08 Jan 2020 18:20:51 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 8073 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-power-polonium <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"></div> Mon, 02 Dec 2019 16:21:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8014 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-all-about-arsenic <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-2"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-7huw6-t-y4o" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: All about arsenic" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/7hUw6_t_Y4o?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-7huw6-t-y4o&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: All about arsenic" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz: All about arsenic</iframe> </div> </p> Fri, 20 Sep 2019 17:32:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7935 at /oss /oss/article/health/my-dog-ate-chocolate-and-he-was-fine-so-whats-big-deal <p>If you ask a dog owner what dogs cannot eat, they’ll list some foods like onions, garlic, rhubarb, grapes and chocolate. (As an aside, if they say grains, <a href="/oss/article/health-nutrition/feeding-dogs-theyre-human-raw-grain-free-and-vegan-diets-dogs">don’t listen to them</a>.) Dogs' inability to safely consume chocolate is common knowledge, but thanks to their proclivity for eating anything they can get their mouths on, many dogs are nonetheless treated for ingesting chocolate every year.</p> Thu, 22 Aug 2019 15:48:08 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7878 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-dangers-nicotine <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-3"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-pfv8rvba9jy" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the dangers of nicotine" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/PFV8rVba9JY?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-pfv8rvba9jy&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the dangers of nicotine" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the dangers of nicotine</iframe> </div> </p> Mon, 29 Jul 2019 15:15:27 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7841 at /oss /oss/article/history/little-mercurial-history <p>“Since calomel’s become their boast,/ How many patients have they lost?/ How many thousands they make ill,/ Of poison with their calomel?” So ran a little verse written in 1825 by an unknown poet who was obviously disenchanted with medical practice of the day.</p> Wed, 10 Apr 2019 18:30:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7713 at /oss