LogFAQs > #967463031

ParanoidObsessive posted...

And plenty of poisons can be used medicinally if taken correctly.

Strychnine was occasionally used as a performance enhancing drug, most notably by Thomas Hicks in the 1904 Olympic marathon. He won the race, but collapsed shortly after crossing the finish line. He'd received 2 doses of about 1 mg; another dose would have likely been fatal. Under current rules he'd have been disqualified as it has since been forbidden by Olympic rules.

Physostigmine is an extremely dangerous toxin derived from the Calabar bean. It is a cholinesterase inhibitor, which means it basically acts like nerve gas. It was originally used as an ordeal poison; a person accused of a crime would be forced to eat one of the beans and if they survived, they were innocent. Now it's used to treat glaucoma, and it's an antidote for atropine poisoning.

Atropine is an anticholinergic derived from belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade. It's used to treat bradycardia, and as an antidote to nerve agents and organophosphate pesticides. It's an antidote for physostigmine poisoning.