Tabit Ibn Qurrah's contributions to toxicology.

Mankind has been familiar with poisons since ancient times. On the other hand, there is a wealth of knowledge in the medical books including medieval works of Middle Eastern polymaths such as Avicenna, "al-Razi," and "Tabit Ibn Qurrah." This study presented and analyzed the knowledge of medical toxicology in one of the mainstay works of "Tabit Ibn Qurrah" entitled "al-Dahirah Fy Ꜥilm al-Tibb" also known as The Treasury of Medicine after the translation of the book from Arabic to English carefully and faithfully. Also, related toxicological literature was applied wherever required using English, Arabic, and Persian databases including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, WorldCat, Magiran, IranDoc, Scientific Information Database, Noor Mags, Noorlib, and Al Manhal. Our research revealed that chapter 25 of the mentioned book specifically focused on toxicology. This chapter was divided into sections on different aspects of toxicology from the categorization of poisons to compound mixtures causing poisonings to introducing blade poisons to signs and symptoms of poisonings, preventive approaches, and therapeutic agents. Specific antidotes and general therapies were introduced that included medicinal plants, cupping therapy, and bandages, just to name a few. Also, there were some monographs on the common poisonous agents and their treatments. The toxicological data of the book was comparable with modern toxicology. Our study highlighted the contributions of "Tabit Ibn Qurrah" to medical toxicology by authoring The Treasury of Medicine. Further research is recommended to elucidate the full aspects of the history of toxicology including the contributions of the past scholars.

Avicenna's views on pest control and medicinal plants he prescribed as natural pesticides.

The present study aimed to introduce Avicenna's views on pest control and the medicinal plants he proposed as natural pesticides. Also, we addressed the strategies that he leveraged to formulate and prescribe them, and, finally, we put his views into perspective with modern science. The data were collected using Al-Qanun Fi Al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine) as well as scientific databases. According to Al-Qanun Fi Al-Tibb, 42 medicinal plants are described as natural pest control agents. After introducing the pest control properties of each plant, Avicenna explained the appropriate strategies for use of these plants. These strategies or formulations included incensing, spraying, spreading, rubbing, smudging, and scent-dispersing, which are equivalent to the modern pesticide formulations of fumigants, aerosols, pastes and poisoned baits, lotions, creams, and slow-release formulations, respectively. This study revealed that Avicenna introduced the pest control approach with natural plants in his book Al-Qanun Fi Al-Tibb and, thus, harnessed the power of nature to control nature. Future research is recommended to find the pest control merits of the presented medicinal plants, in order to incorporate them into pest control programs and reduce environmental pollution resulting from the complications of current synthetic pesticides.

Pattern of bioterrorism in ancient times: lessons to be learned from the microbial and toxicological aspects.

The current research aimed to analyze the history of bioterrorism in antiquity and to adapt the data to modern medical knowledge. To this end, a thorough evaluation of the literature related to the ancient history of bioterrorism and modern data was done using the Web of Sciences, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Results showed that knowledge of bioterrorism has existed since antiquity in different civilizations. Biological and toxicological agents were used as an instrument of legal execution, as a warfare tool in battles, or to eliminate political rivals across nations. Ancient people researched bioterrorism to apply it against enemies and at the same time provide countermeasures in favor of themselves and allies. Despite the existence of the principles of bioterrorism since ancient times, adaptation of the data to modern research can assist in planning countermeasure efforts, preventive actions, and treatments in the framework of modern counterterrorism medicine.