Cleopatra's suicide from the bite of an asp, as depicted in an early 19th-century drama. (Image via Folger Shakespeare Library.)
Why did Cleopatra choose to be bitten by a poisonous snake when she had access to any number of plant poisons to commit suicide?
In the video below, Emory ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave explains how the Egyptian queen experimented before picking her poison. She also describes how the myth of Cyclops may have originated from the effects of a medicinal herb.
Poison has shaped history, myth and medicine in myriad ways. Over time, people have discovered ingenious ways to transform and make use of plant poisons for use in agriculture, fishing, hunting and medicine.
Quave, an expert in the interactions of people and plants, and an assistant professor of dermatology in Emory’s School of Medicine, will give a special lecture at the Fernbank Museum on Sunday, March 1, at 4 pm. Her talk, “Deadly Cures: Medical Discoveries from Poisonous Plants,” is presented in conjunction with the museum’s special exhibition “The Power of Poison.” Although the lecture event is free, space is filling up fast and advance reservations are required by calling 404-929-6400.
Related:
Tapping traditional remedies to fight modern super bugs
from eScienceCommons http://ift.tt/1Dm1PdD
Cleopatra's suicide from the bite of an asp, as depicted in an early 19th-century drama. (Image via Folger Shakespeare Library.)
Why did Cleopatra choose to be bitten by a poisonous snake when she had access to any number of plant poisons to commit suicide?
In the video below, Emory ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave explains how the Egyptian queen experimented before picking her poison. She also describes how the myth of Cyclops may have originated from the effects of a medicinal herb.
Poison has shaped history, myth and medicine in myriad ways. Over time, people have discovered ingenious ways to transform and make use of plant poisons for use in agriculture, fishing, hunting and medicine.
Quave, an expert in the interactions of people and plants, and an assistant professor of dermatology in Emory’s School of Medicine, will give a special lecture at the Fernbank Museum on Sunday, March 1, at 4 pm. Her talk, “Deadly Cures: Medical Discoveries from Poisonous Plants,” is presented in conjunction with the museum’s special exhibition “The Power of Poison.” Although the lecture event is free, space is filling up fast and advance reservations are required by calling 404-929-6400.
Related:
Tapping traditional remedies to fight modern super bugs
from eScienceCommons http://ift.tt/1Dm1PdD
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