paracelsus said the poison is in the dose.
who said the poison is in the dose?
paracelsus
"the dose makes the poison" () is an adage intended to indicate a basic principle of toxicology. it is credited to paracelsus who expressed the classic toxicology maxim "all things are poison, and nothing is without poison, the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison." this is often condensed to: "the dose makes the poison" or in latin, . it means that a substance can produce the harmful effect associated with its toxic properties only if it reaches a susceptible biological system within the body in a high enough concentration (i.e., dose).
the dose makes the poison
studying dose response, and developing dose–response models, is central to determining "safe", "hazardous" and (where relevant) beneficial levels and dosages for drugs, pollutants, foods, and other substances to which humans or other organisms are exposed. these conclusions are often the basis for public policy. the u.s. environmental protection agency has developed extensive guidance and reports on dose–response modeling and assessment, as well as software. the u.s. food and drug administration also has guidance to elucidate dose–response relationships during drug development. dose response relationships may be used in individuals or in populations. the adage "the dose makes the poison" reflects how a small amount of a toxin has no significant effect, while a large amount may be fatal. this reflects how dose–response relationships can be used in individuals. in populations, dose–response relationships can describe the way groups of people or organisms are affected at different levels of exposure. dose response relationships modelled by dose response curves are used extensively in pharmacology and drug development. in particular, the shape of a drug's dose–response curve (quantified by ec50, nh and ymax parameters) reflects the biological activity and strength of the drug.
dose–response relationship