The death of famous personalities, especially if there is even the slightest reason to doubt its natural cause, is always suspicious. The most common weapon of conspirators has been poison, as in most cases it allows the poisoner to remain in the shadows. The scariest thing is that the substances that caused these famous deaths can be found in many commonly used products. Some of them are even used in pharmaceuticals – being both a poison and a cure... Let’s look back to the past and unveil the mystery of the most famous poisonings in history.
The way the poisoners and poisons were feared in ancient times is clearly demonstrated by the story of King Mithridates VI of Pont, who, unwilling to repeat the fate of his father poisoned by enemies since childhood accustomed his body to various poisons. He regularly took poisons, gradually increased the doses and eventually accustomed his body to them.
When Mithridates had to end his life, he had to throw himself on the sword, because the poisons were powerless to kill him. It is not clear how true this legend is, but getting used to poisons in toxicology is now called “mithridatism”.
