Deskripsi Toksikologi

Bidang toksikologi telah ada selama banyak berabad-abad, meskipun dalam sejarah awalnya bidang
ini mungkin telah beroperasi di bawah rubrik yang berbeda dari namanya saat ini. Juga, toksikologi
modern telah mengembangkan sejumlah subspesialisasi. Definisi Toksikologi Menurut definisi
tradisionalnya, toksikologi adalah ilmu tentang racun. Lihat GAMBAR 3.1. Definisi yang lebih lengkap
adalah "studi tentang efek buruk bahan kimia pada organisme hidup." 6(p6) Ilmu toksikologi tidak
terbatas pada studi tentang manusia, tetapi juga dapat diterapkan pada spesies dan organisme lain.
Melalui studi in vivo (dalam organisme hidup) dan in vitro (dalam "kaca," misalnya, kultur sel), ahli
toksikologi memeriksa efek kesehatan dari paparan bahan kimia seperti karsinogenesis (produksi
kanker), dan kerusakan organ dalam, pada janin yang sedang berkembang. , dan sistem reproduksi.
Beberapa jenis kanker telah dikaitkan dengan paparan bahan kimia, termasuk: karsinoma paru-paru,
payudara, dan kelenjar prostat, dan beberapa bentuk kanker kulit dan leukemia.

History of Toxicology

Around the fourth century bce, poisonings (especially by use of arsenic) grew more frequent in the
Roman Empire; Nero was said to have used arsenic to poison Claudius in order to serve political
ambitions. Poisonings also were employed frequently during the Middle Ages to do away with rivals,
including spouses and politicians. Beginning about the 17th century and

onward,

physicians

and

others

developed

a gradually

increasing

awareness

of

the

toxic

effects

of

exposure

to

industrial

metals
and

chemicals

that

were

then

in common

use.

Paracelsus

(born

Phillippus

Theophrastus

Aureolus

Bombastus

von

Hohenheim)

is

considered

to

be

one

of

the

founders

of

modern

toxicology.

Toxicology may be regarded as a field that, in some

respects, has a venerable history, yet has a short history

in the sense that much of the information regarding

toxicology has been acquired in the last few decades.

Since early history, human beings have been mystified

by the nature of chemicals; they also became fascinated

with the use of poisons. Ancient civilizations, early

cave dwellers, and isolated primitive tribes were aware

His image

is shown in FIGURE 3.2. Active during the time of da

Vinci and Copernicus, Paracelsus contributed to the

discipline during the early 16th century. Among his

contributions were several important concepts, including

the

dose–response

relationship,

which

refers

to

the

observation

that

the

effects

of

a poison

are

related to of the existence of toxic plants and animal venoms. In the strength of its dose, and the
notion of target organ ancient Greece and Rome, poisons were used for suicides and executions,
and to ccomplish political aims. Socrates, Who lived from 470 to 399 bce, Was executed by poison,
as was Theophrastus (370–286 bce). specificity of chemicals.