A poison that kills a person. Strong and dangerous poisons. The strongest poison

Let's start with the "king" of poisons - Arsenic. Until 1832, arsenic poisoning was extremely difficult to diagnose, as the symptoms of poisoning with this poison were similar to those of cholera. This similarity made it possible to disguise the use of arsenic and its compounds as a deadly poison.

In acute arsenic poisoning, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, depression of the central nervous system are observed.

Antidote: aqueous sodium thiosulfate solution, dimercaprol.

Cyanide

Potassium cyanide, or potassium cyanide, is the most powerful inorganic poison. It looks like granulated sugar.

When it enters the body, the cells stop absorbing oxygen, as a result of which the body dies from interstitial hypoxia. Potassium cyanide is absorbed very quickly and therefore death occurs within 15 minutes.

Sarin gas

Sarin gas is a poisonous substance with a nerve-paralytic effect.

The first signs of a person's exposure to Sarin are nasal discharge, chest congestion, and constriction of the pupils. Shortly thereafter, the victim has difficulty breathing, nausea and increased salivation. Then the victim completely loses control over bodily functions. This phase is accompanied by convulsions. Ultimately, the victim falls into a comatose state and suffocates in a fit of convulsive spasms, followed by cardiac arrest.

Antidote: Atropine, Pralidoxime, Diazepam, Athens.

diamphotoxin

Diamphotoxin is the most powerful poison of animal origin on our planet, contained in the blood of the larvae of the South African leaf beetle.

Able to reduce the content of hemoglobin in the blood by 75% in a short period of time due to the massive destruction of red blood cells.

Antidote: There is no specific antidote.

Ricin

Ricin is the most powerful plant-derived poison, which is obtained from the castor beans of the castor bean plant.

To kill an adult, a few grains are enough. Ricin kills cells in the human body by preventing the production of the proteins it needs, resulting in organ failure. A person can become poisoned by ricin through inhalation or after ingestion.

If inhaled, symptoms of poisoning usually appear 8 hours after exposure and include difficulty breathing, fever, cough, nausea, sweating, and chest tightness.

If swallowed, symptoms appear in less than 6 hours and include nausea, low blood pressure, hallucinations, and seizures. Death can occur in 36-72 hours.

Antidote: There is no specific antidote.

Determining the strongest poison is difficult. This definition includes any substance that provoked serious pathological changes in the body. Poisons work differently. Some slowly and imperceptibly bring a person to a critical point, others cause unbearable pain.

It is possible to predict the effect and take measures to eliminate severe consequences by finding out the exact cause of the poisoning. There is an antidote for every poisonous substance.

Poisonous chemical origin

The most dangerous poisons are developed by people. Not all were created as chemical warfare agents, for example, sarin was obtained as a result of the synthesis of pesticides. Its production was stopped in the 90s of the XX century.

The existing stocks were not destroyed, so this poison is used by terrorists and the military. This deadly gas is odorless and colourless, and when inhaled causes chest tightness, nausea, nasal discharge, respiratory failure, spasms, convulsions and coma. As a result, a person ceases to control his own body and dies of suffocation.

The negative impact of hydrocyanic acid and the substances in which it is present is widely known. Even a small dose can be fatal.

The effect of the white powder, which is characterized by strong toxicity, is blocked by glucose. Contact with this gaseous substance causes convulsions and respiratory failure.

Death occurs due to the binding of gas molecules to hemoglobin. Oxygen does not reach the internal organs, and the person simply suffocates.

Another type of poison is methyl alcohol. It is often confused with ethanol. Because of this, people who abuse counterfeit alcohol die due to intoxication. If rescue measures are taken on time, then the likelihood of a fatal outcome will decrease significantly. There is a high risk of complete loss of vision.

One of the most dangerous poisons is V-Ex. This gas is used as a chemical weapon of mass destruction. For penetration into the body, it is enough to inhale it for a few minutes or short contact with the skin.

A fast-acting remedy leads to death in just a quarter of an hour.

Do not forget about mercury and arsenic. The first slowly poisons the body, provoking partial dysfunction of the central nervous system and subsequent mental disorder. All vital organs suffer from the impact of this metal. Vapors and soluble mercury compounds are formed already at room temperature, so you need to be careful when using a thermometer.

The list of "The Most Powerful Poisons" cannot be imagined without arsenic. Element 33 of the Periodic Table of Mendeleev has been used as a poison for more than one century.

Symptoms of intoxication are similar to the clinical manifestations of cholera. To provoke chemical poisoning is real through potassium chloride. This substance is intended to fertilize the earth, but its penetration into the body is fraught with sudden cardiac arrest.

plant matter

Some biological components are also dangerous, such poisons are presented with no less variety than synthetic ones. You can cause death with the help of chilibuha nuts. One of the most famous poisons, strychnine, is obtained from them.

Severe intoxication is accompanied by convulsions that lead to death. This substance is used in small quantities in the treatment of paralysis and to speed up metabolic metabolism.

A dangerous poison called ricin is produced from castor beans. It is several times stronger than potassium cyanide, but due to technical difficulties it cannot be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

The outcome of poisoning directly depends on the method of penetration of the toxic substance into the body.

When inhaled, death is hardly possible, but if at least a few grains get into the blood, then there is practically no chance of a favorable outcome.

Among plant poisons, curare is considered the most famous. It was prepared on the basis of herbs growing in South America. The death caused by this substance is very painful. The person gradually dies from paralysis of the respiratory system, remaining fully conscious, but unable to move.

Poisons produced by representatives of the animal world

The world around us is full of dangers from which a person is not immune. Often culinary preferences become the cause of his disability or even death. Fugu dishes are quite popular in Japan due to their "extremism".

Due to the slightest mistake in the cooking process, the visitor can get poisoned. This reaction is explained by tetrodotoxin. It is found in the organs of pufferfish, skin and caviar of aquatic life living in the tropics.

Neurotoxins, specifically batrachotoxin, are present in the skin of amphibians from Colombia. Their body does not produce poison. It is formed as a result of eating poison dart frogs their usual food. The toxic substance "kills" the nervous system and causes respiratory failure.

You can add snakes and spiders to tropical fish and frogs. In nature, 250 species of poisonous snakes have been recorded. Unfortunately, there is no universal anti-snake serum. To enter the desired antidote, you need to know what kind of animal attacked.

Intoxication occurs when poison enters the bloodstream. A similar effect causes the penetration into the body of chirikitotoxin (chiriki toad), alpha-latrotoxin (karakurt spider).

Pathogenic microflora

The cause of poisoning can be poisons produced by pathogens, it includes:

• The bacteria Clostridium botulinum. They cause botulism, a toxic-infectious disease in which the central and peripheral parts of the nervous system are affected.
• Anthrax bacilli. There are two forms of development: intestinal and skin. The first type of pathology in 95% of cases leads to death. In the second, 80% of patients survive.
• Rods of the genus Clostridium. These are the causative agents of tetanus. Infection occurs when damp earth enters an open wound. The characteristic symptoms include convulsive syndrome, respiratory and heart failure, violations of the swallowing reflex. In the absence of timely treatment, the likelihood of death is high.

The risk of intoxication of the body increases with the use of spoiled food. For example, if the storage conditions of potatoes are not observed, solanine accumulates in it. Even bread can be poisonous if, when making flour, cereals affected by ergot were crushed.

poisonous mushrooms

The most common poisons are amatoxins.

They are part of the fly agaric and pale grebes. The first signs of poisoning may appear after 10-12 hours. Such slowness is fraught with serious complications.

First aid is too late, so it is impossible to prevent a negative effect on internal organs. In the future, this will negatively affect the general state of health.

Top 10 fastest acting poisons

There are several classifications of poisons. The defining feature is the minimum dose that can cause death.

The top ten included only natural substances:

1. Diamphotoxin has the greatest poisoning power. It is produced in the body of the larvae of the leaf beetle of the genus Diamphidia. Its distribution area is in South Africa. The most dangerous poison can disrupt the electrolyte balance and greatly reduce the level of hemoglobin in the blood. The dose may not exceed 0.000025 mg/kg.
2. The action of a cytotoxic poison called palytoxin becomes lethal at a dosage of 0.00015 mg / kg. It is formed as a result of the activity of coral polyps Palythoa toxica, P. Сaribacorum.
3. Batrachotoxin is found in the skin of poison dart frogs of the genus Phyllobates. The lethal norm is 0.002 mg/kg.
4. Typotoxin is produced by the Australian taipan. At least 0.002 mg / kg of snake venom should enter the bloodstream.
5. Tetrodotoxin poisoning can occur when pufferfish are not cooked properly. The critical dose is 0.008 mg/kg.
6. Titiutoxin is the venom of the yellow scorpion. A quick lethal outcome is possible already with the penetration of 0.009 mg / kg into the body.
7. Chiriquitotoxin is found in the skin of toads belonging to Atelopus chiriquiensis. The lethal dose is 0.01 mg/kg.
8. Alpha-conotoxin is present in the composition of the substance secreted by the mollusk Conus geographus. The minimum sufficient amount is 0.012 mg/kg.
9. Alpha latrotoxin is produced by the spider Latrodectus (black widow). Death occurs from 0.045 mg / kg.
10. Neurotoxin II is produced by the Central Asian cobra. The lethal dose is 0.085 mg/kg.

The list of hazardous substances does not end with the listing of these poisons.

Be careful not to take unfamiliar drugs and do not touch animals if you are not sure about the safety of your plan. If the poison gets inside, be sure to call an ambulance. Delay costs life.

In the world there are many poisons of very different nature. Some of them act almost instantly, others can torment the victim of poisoning for years, slowly destroying it from the inside. True, the concept of poison has no clear boundaries. It all depends on concentration. And often the same substance can act both as a deadly poison and as one of the most necessary components for sustaining life. Vitamins are a striking example of such duality - even a slight excess of their concentration can completely destroy health or kill on the spot. Here we offer a look at 10 substances that are pure poisons, and are included in the group of the most dangerous and fastest acting.

(Total 10 photos)

A fairly large group of salts of hydrocyanic acid is called cyanides. All of them, like the acid itself, are extremely poisonous. In the last century, both hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride have been used as chemical warfare agents, and have accounted for tens of thousands of lives.

Potassium cyanide is also famous for its extreme toxicity. Only 200-300 mg of this white powder, resembling granulated sugar, is enough to kill an adult in just a few seconds. Thanks to such a low dosage and incredibly quick death, this poison was chosen to die by Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goering and other Nazis.

They tried to poison Grigory Rasputin with this poison. True, the poisoners mixed cyanide into sweet wine and cakes, not knowing that sugar is one of the most powerful antidotes for this poison. So in the end, they had to use a gun.

2. Anthrax bacillus

Anthrax is a very severe, rapidly developing disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. There are several forms of anthrax. The most "harmless" is skin. Even in the absence of treatment, mortality from this form does not exceed 20%. The intestinal form kills about half of the sick, but the pulmonary form is almost certain death. Even with the help of the latest treatment methods, modern doctors manage to save no more than 5% of patients.

Sarin was created by German scientists who were trying to synthesize a powerful pesticide. But this deadly poison, which causes a quick but very painful death, acquired its gloomy glory not in agricultural fields, but as a chemical weapon. Sarin was produced by the ton for military purposes for decades, and it was not until 1993 that its production was banned. But, despite calls for the complete destruction of all stocks of this substance, in our time it is used by both terrorists and the military.

4. Amatoxins

Amatoxins are a whole group of poisons of a protein nature contained in poisonous mushrooms of the amanite family, including the deadly pale grebe. The particular danger of these poisons lies in their "slowness". Once in the human body, they immediately begin their destructive activity, but the victim begins to feel the first ailment no earlier than 10 hours later, and sometimes even after several days, when it is already very difficult for doctors to do anything. Even if such a patient can be saved, he will still suffer for the rest of his life from painful violations of the functions of the liver, kidneys and lungs.

5. Strychnine

Strychnine is found in large quantities in the nuts of the tropical tree chilibuha. It was from them that it was obtained in 1818 by the French chemists Pelletier and Cavantou. In small doses, strychnine can be used as a drug that increases metabolic processes, improves heart function and treats paralysis. It was even actively used as an antidote for barbiturate poisoning.

However, it is one of the most powerful poisons. Its lethal dose is even less than that of the famous potassium cyanide, but it acts much more slowly. Death from strychnine poisoning occurs after about half an hour of terrible torment and severe convulsions.

Mercury is extremely dangerous in all its manifestations, but its vapors and soluble compounds are especially harmful. Even small amounts of mercury that enter the body cause severe damage to the nervous system, liver, kidneys and the entire gastrointestinal tract.

When small amounts of mercury enter the body, the process of poisoning proceeds gradually, but inevitably, since this poison is not excreted, but, on the contrary, accumulates. In ancient times, mercury was widely used for the production of mirrors, as well as felt for hats. Chronic poisoning with mercury vapor, which was expressed in a disorder of behavior up to complete insanity, at that time was called the "disease of the old hatter".

7. Tetrodotoxin

This extremely strong poison is found in the liver, milk and caviar of the famous puffer fish, as well as in the skin and caviar of some species of tropical frogs, octopuses, crabs and caviar of the Californian newt. Europeans first became acquainted with the effects of this poison in 1774, when the crew ate an unknown tropical fish on the ship of James Cook, and the slop from dinner was given to the ship's pigs. By morning, all the people were seriously ill, and the pigs were dead.

Tetrodotoxin poisoning is very severe, and even today doctors manage to save less than half of all poisoned people.

It is interesting to note that the famous Japanese delicacy fugu fish is prepared from fish in which the content of the most dangerous toxin exceeds the lethal dose for humans. Lovers of this treat literally entrust their lives to the art of the cook. But, no matter how hard the cooks try, accidents cannot be avoided, and every year several gourmets die after eating an exquisite dish.

Ricin is an extremely powerful plant poison. A great danger is the inhalation of its smallest grains. Ricin is about 6 times more potent than potassium cyanide, but was not used as a weapon of mass destruction due to purely technical difficulties. But various special services and terrorists are very "loving" this substance. Politicians and public figures receive letters stuffed with ricin with enviable regularity. True, it rarely comes to a fatal outcome, since the penetration of ricin through the lungs has a rather low efficiency. For a 100% result, it is necessary to inject ricin directly into the blood.

9. VX (VX)

VX, or, as it is also called, VI-gas, belongs to the category of military poison gases that have a nerve-paralytic effect. He, too, was born as a new pesticide, but soon the military began to use it for their own purposes. Symptoms of poisoning with this gas appear within one minute after inhalation or contact with the skin, and death occurs after 10-15 minutes.

10. Botulinum toxin

Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which are the causative agents of the most dangerous disease - botulism. It is the most powerful organic poison and one of the strongest poisons in the world. In the last century, botulinum toxin was part of the arsenal of chemical weapons, but at the same time, active research was carried out regarding its use in medicine. And today, a huge number of people who want to at least temporarily restore the smoothness of the skin experience the influence of this terrible poison, which is part of the most popular Botox drug, which once again confirms the validity of the famous saying of the great Paracelsus: “Everything is poison, everything - medicine; both are determined by the dose.

Foods and drinks that are familiar to us can be deadly. And the simplest items contain poison. It turns out that the most powerful poisons are sometimes next to us, and we do not even know about it.

Dangerous Poisons

- Methanol, or methyl alcohol is a very dangerous poison. This is explained by the fact that it is easy to confuse it with ordinary wine alcohol, since they are indistinguishable in taste and smell. Counterfeit alcoholic drinks are sometimes made on the basis of methyl alcohol, but without an examination it is impossible to establish the presence of methanol. Unfortunately, the consequences of drinking such drinks are irreversible, at best, a person goes blind.

Mercury. Everyone at home has the most common item - a mercury thermometer. It turns out that if mercury from two or three thermometers is poured into a medium-sized room, then this will already be enough to cause serious poisoning. True, elemental mercury itself is not dangerous, its vapors are dangerous, and it begins to evaporate already at room temperature. In addition to thermometers, the same type of mercury is found in fluorescent lamps. So be careful with them.

Snake poison. There are more than two and a half thousand species of reptiles, but only about 250 species are poisonous among them. The most famous are common vipers, cobras, rattlesnakes, black mambas, small sand snakes.

People have long found out that snake venom is dangerous only when it enters human blood. And, since mankind has been dealing with snakes for many millennia, it is not surprising that it was when studying the effects of snake venom on animals and humans in 1895 that they created the first antidote - anti-snake serum. By the way, there is no universal antidote even in the case of poisoning with snake venom, for each type of snake, its own antitoxin is created - for the king cobra - one, for vipers - another, for rattlesnakes - the third.

The fastest poison

There are many poisons, but potassium cyanide is still considered one of the fastest acting. Used since ancient times, it is probably the most famous "spy" poison: many agents in films and books use cyanide in ampoules or tablets. And about such a sign of it as the smell of "bitter almonds", probably everyone read in the wonderful detective stories of Agatha Christie.

You can get poisoned with cyanide not only by ingestion, but also by inhalation, by touching. Potassium cyanide is found in some plants and foods, as well as cigarettes. It is used in the extraction of gold from ore. Kills cyanide by binding iron in blood cells, thereby preventing them from delivering oxygen to vital organs.

You can determine cyanides using a solution of ferric salts

By the way, they tried to poison Grigory Rasputin with potassium cyanide, but they could not, because they added poison to the sweet pie. Glucose is an antidote for potassium cyanide.

The most accessible poisons

In summer and autumn, the time comes for seasonal mushroom poisoning - by the way, these are the most affordable toxic substances today. The most famous poisonous mushrooms are false mushrooms, pale grebe, stitches and fly agaric. Most of all they are poisoned with a pale toadstool, since it has a lot of varieties, sometimes indistinguishable from edible mushrooms, and one such mushroom can lead to the death of several people.

Although the Germans have learned how to cook fly agarics in such a way that they do not poison them, it is true that it takes them a lot of time to cook these mushrooms - they boil them for a day. True, the question arises - why do they need fly agaric when you can just take other mushrooms for food? And of course, you need to remember the rules for storing cooked mushrooms, even edible mushrooms can become poisonous if the shelf life is violated.

Ordinary potatoes or bread can also be poisonous. In case of improper storage, the substance solanine accumulates in potatoes, causing poisoning of the body. And bread becomes poisonous if flour was taken to make it, into which cereals infected with ergot got into. We are not talking about fatal poisoning, but it is quite possible to spoil the health of such products.

In addition, there are many household chemicals and fertilizers that can also be poisonous. For example, potassium chloride is the most common fertilizer, but when it enters the bloodstream, it becomes deadly, as potassium ions block the activity of the heart.

most famous poison

In South America, the most famous poison is curare, a poison of plant origin, there are several subspecies of this poison. It causes paralysis of the respiratory system. Initially, it was used for hunting animals, in the 20th century it was successfully used in medicine.

There is also strychnine, a white powder that is sometimes used as an ingredient in some drugs (such as heroin and cocaine). Although much more often it is used in the manufacture of pesticides. To obtain this powder, the seeds of the chilibukha tree are taken, whose birthplace is Southeast Asia and India.

But the most famous poison is, of course, arsenic, it can be called "royal poison". It has been used since ancient times (its use is attributed to Caligula) to eliminate their enemies and competitors in the struggle for the throne, no matter papal or royal. It is the favorite poison of the European nobility in the Middle Ages.

The most famous poisoners

The history of the Italian dynasty of Borgia poisoners is unique, they elevated poisoning almost to the rank of art. Their invitations to the feast were feared by everyone without exception. The most famous representatives of this family for their cunning are Pope Alexander VI Borgia, and his children: the son of Cesare, who became a cardinal, and also the daughter of Lucrezia. This family had their own poison, "cantarella", which supposedly contained arsenic, phosphorus and copper salts. It is known that the head of the family himself ultimately paid with his life for his deceit, by mistakenly drinking a bowl of poison prepared by him for another.

In France, arsenic was used by women, the most famous of them - Catherine de Medici, who became Queen of France. There were poisoners and a lower rank - favorites of kings, marquises, baronesses and wives of jewelers. It is assumed that Napoleon was poisoned with arsenic.

The strongest poison in the world

And now scientists will not answer the question of what kind of poison is the most powerful in the world. Some of the most powerful poisons are botulism and tetanus toxins.

Of natural poisons, batrachotoxin is very dangerous, it is secreted by the skin of small but dangerous amphibians - poison dart frogs, fortunately, they can only be found in Colombia. One such frog contains so much poisonous substance that it is enough to destroy several elephants.

In addition, there are radioactive poisons, such as polonium. It acts slowly, but only 1 gram of this substance is needed to destroy one and a half million people. Snake venom, curare, potassium cyanide - they are all inferior to the above poisons.

It's not just snakes that are venomous. As the editors of the site managed to find out, the most poisonous creature on Earth is a jellyfish.
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In the world there are many poisons of very different nature. Some of them act almost instantly, others can torment the victim of poisoning for years, slowly destroying it from the inside. True, the concept of poison has no clear boundaries. It all depends on concentration. And often the same substance can act both as a deadly poison and as one of the most necessary components for sustaining life. Vitamins are a vivid example of such duality - even a slight excess of their concentration can completely destroy health or kill on the spot.

Here we offer a look at 10 substances that are pure poisons, and are included in the group of the most dangerous and fastest acting.

Cyanide

A fairly large group of salts of hydrocyanic acid is called cyanides. They are all, like the acid itself, extremely poisonous. In the last century, both hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride have been used as chemical warfare agents, and have accounted for tens of thousands of lives.
Potassium cyanide is also famous for its extreme toxicity. Only 200-300 mg of this white powder, resembling granulated sugar, is enough to kill an adult in just a few seconds. Due to such a low dosage and incredibly quick death, this poison was chosen to die by Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Göring and other Nazis.
They tried to poison Grigory Rasputin with this poison. True, the senders mixed cyanide into sweet wine and cakes, not knowing that sugar is one of the most powerful antidotes for this poison. So in the end, they had to use a gun.

Anthrax bacillus

Anthrax is a very serious, rapidly developing disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. There are several forms of anthrax. The most "harmless" is skin. Even in the absence of treatment, mortality from this form does not exceed 20%. The intestinal form kills about half of the sick, but the pulmonary form is almost certain death. Even with the help of the latest treatment methods, modern doctors manage to save no more than 5% of patients.

Sarin

Sarin was created by German scientists who were trying to synthesize a powerful pesticide. But this deadly poison, which causes a quick but very painful death, acquired its gloomy glory not in agricultural fields, but as a chemical weapon. Sarin was produced by the ton for military purposes for decades, and it was not until 1993 that its production was banned. But despite calls for the complete destruction of all stocks of this substance, in our time it is used by both terrorists and the military.

Amatoxins

Amatoxins are a whole group of poisons of a protein nature contained in poisonous mushrooms of the amanite family, including the deadly pale grebe. The particular danger of these poisons lies in their "slowness". Once in the human body, they immediately begin their destructive activity, but the victim begins to feel the first ailment no earlier than 10 hours later, and sometimes even after several days, when it is already very difficult for doctors to do anything. Even if such a patient can be saved, he will still suffer for the rest of his life from painful violations of the functions of the liver, kidneys and lungs.

Strychnine

Strychnine is found in large quantities in the nuts of the tropical tree chilibuha. It was from them that it was obtained in 1818 by the French chemists Pelletier and Cavantou. In small doses, strychnine can be used as a drug that increases metabolic processes, improves heart function and treats paralysis. It was even actively used as an antidote for barbiturate poisoning.
However, it is one of the most powerful poisons. Its lethal dose is even less than that of the famous potassium cyanide, but it acts much more slowly. Death from strychnine poisoning occurs after about half an hour of terrible torment and severe convulsions.

Mercury

Mercury is extremely dangerous in all its manifestations, but its vapors and soluble compounds are especially harmful. Even small amounts of mercury that enter the body cause severe damage to the nervous system, liver, kidneys and the entire gastrointestinal tract.

When small amounts of mercury enter the body, the process of poisoning proceeds gradually, but inevitably, since this poison is not excreted, but, on the contrary, accumulates. In ancient times, mercury was widely used for the production of mirrors, as well as felt for hats. Chronic poisoning with mercury vapor, which was expressed in a disorder of behavior up to complete insanity, at that time was called the "disease of the old hatter".

Tetrodotoxin

This extremely strong poison is found in the liver, milk and caviar of the famous puffer fish, as well as in the skin and caviar of some species of tropical frogs, octopuses, crabs and caviar of the Californian newt. Europeans first became acquainted with the effects of this poison in 1774, when the crew ate an unknown tropical fish on the ship of James Cook, and the slop from dinner was given to the ship's pigs. By morning, all the people were seriously ill, and the pigs were dead.
Tetrodotoxin poisoning is very severe, and even today doctors manage to save less than half of all poisoned people.

It is interesting to note that the famous Japanese delicacy fugu fish is prepared from fish in which the content of the most dangerous toxin exceeds the lethal dose for humans. Lovers of this treat literally entrust their lives to the art of the cook. But no matter how hard the chefs try, accidents cannot be avoided, and every year several gourmets die after eating an exquisite dish.

Ricin

Ricin is an extremely powerful plant poison. A great danger is the inhalation of its smallest grains. Ricin is about 6 times more potent than potassium cyanide, but was not used as a weapon of mass destruction due to purely technical difficulties. But various special services and terrorists are very "loving" this substance. Politicians and public figures receive letters stuffed with ricin with enviable regularity. True, it rarely comes to a fatal outcome, since the penetration of ricin through the lungs has a rather low efficiency. For a 100% result, it is necessary to inject ricin directly into the blood.

VX (VX)

VX, or, as it is also called, VI-gas, belongs to the category of military poison gases that have a nerve-paralytic effect. He, too, was born as a new pesticide, but soon the military began to use it for their own purposes. Symptoms of poisoning with this gas appear within 1 minute after inhalation or contact with the skin, and death occurs after 10-15 minutes.

Botulinum toxin

Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which are the causative agents of the most dangerous disease - botulism. It is the most powerful organic poison and one of the strongest poisons in the world. In the last century, botulinum toxin was part of the arsenal of chemical weapons, but at the same time, active research was carried out regarding its use in medicine. And today, a huge number of people who want to at least temporarily restore the smoothness of the skin experience the influence of this terrible poison, which is part of the most popular Botox drug, which once again confirms the validity of the famous saying of the great Paracelsus: “Everything is poison, everything - medicine; both are determined by the dose.