Thanks to the Midnight Special on WFMT in Chicago for playing this wonderfully macabre little ditty last night. See if you can count the total number of specific poisons mentioned. ( I got to 8, but might have missed a few.)…
Gelsemium elegans
Today’s New York Times reports that the death of Chinese billionaire Long Liyuan last month was caused by poison slipped into the cat-meat hot pot on which he was dining.
Mr. Long was having lunch with a local government official, Huang Guang, whose corruption he apparently had discovered and was about to expose. Three people at the …
Abnormal Urine Color. Aycock RD, Kass DA. South Med J 2012 Jan;105:43-47.
This review article would be a good one to keep on file, since it provides a comprehensive review of drugs, foods, and medical conditions that can cause changes in urine color.
There are many medical causes, such as hemolysis (red urine), porphyria (black urine), metastatic melanoma …
Alexander Gettler
Taking inspiration from New York Times columnist David Brooks and his annual Sidney Awards for the best magazine essays of the preceding year, TPR is proud to present its Alexander Awards for the best toxicology writing on the web in 2011.
The awards are named after Alexander Gettler, who was New York City’s chief toxicologist in the early …
I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than with this stunning cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. There’s an even better version at the iTunes store.
Here’s wishing everyone a great 2012!…
On August 18 1961 the Santa Cruz (CA) Sentinel reported a most unusual occurrence:
A massive flight of sooty shearwaters, fresh from a feat of anchovies, collided with shoreside structures from Pleasure Point to Rio del Mar during the night.
Residents, especially in the Pleasure Point and Capitola area were awakened about 3 a.m. today by the rain of…
With so many high quality, worthwhile medical podcasts available online — and more coming it seems every day — a big problem I’ve found is keeping track of them all and knowing when a new post is available. The iTunes store is, frankly, a pain — cumbersome, cluttered, and not user-friendly.
I’ve just discovered Instacast, an app that makes it …
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. Galli JA et al. Curr Drug Abuse Rev 2011 Nov 29. [Epub ahead of print]
As TPR has previously discussed, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a paradoxical condition in which frequent, chronic use of marijuana can cause cyclic vomiting. CHS is characterized by:
…
Jequirity bean
The Express (U.K.) reported today that the ecologically conscious tourist site Eden Project removed souvenir bracelets from its gift shop after workers realized they were made of the very toxic jequirity bean (Abrus precatorius).
These decorative red-and-black beads are often used for ornaments and rosaries. (Precare menas “to pray”.) They contain the toxin abrin, …
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