THE HISTORY OF TOXICOLOGY

APRIL 16 – 21, 2018

From April 16 to 21, the SASA Gallery of Science and Technology (Đure Jakšića 2) hosts the exhibition, The History of Toxicology, accompanying the joint 10th Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries and the 12th Congress of the Serbian Society of Toxicology, held in Belgrade from April 18 to 21.

The goal of the exhibition is to acqauint the piblic at large with the development of toxicology in Serbia and the world. The awareness of toxicity is as old as the humanities first steps: the discovery of fire brought along the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning; toxic substances extracted from plants were applied to the tips of arrows used for hunting and for defending and conquering territories; hemlock was used to administer death penalty in Antiquity (e.g Socrates); in the Middle Ages, poison was used on a massive scale by ruling classes and citizens alike. The definitions of poisons and toxicology as a scientific discipline refer to substances that cause lethal outcomes. Today, we are surrounded by over fifty million chemicals without which life would be difficult to imagine. They are used in medications, paints, plastics, fuels and pesticides and are known to present hazards to human health and environment.

The exhibition has been conceived in such a manner as to present not only the development of toxicology, but also numerous international associations of toxicologists, through posters. A special section of the exhibition is dedicated to posters with information on the development of toxicology in Serbia, with emphasis placed on the most important local toxicologists. One of them is Professor Momčilo St. Mokranjac, a student of the renowned French scientist Gabriel Bertrand and founder of Serbian and Yugoslav toxicology. The medal Professor Mokranjac received for his contribution to the field of toxicology as well as the book he published on the subject in 1949 will be highly interesting to visitors. An exceptional exhibit is the decoration Dr. Danilo Soldatović received from the French Academy of Science. Dr. Soldatović was a longtime leader in toxicology research, whose findings were recognized throughout the world and for which he was elected foreign corresponding member of the French Académie Nationale de Médecine.

Also prominent among the exhibits is a copy of the so-called “drug addict’s set” from the first half of the 20th century, as well as old apothecary jars, books, issues of old magazines and photographs that illustrate the development of toxicology.