Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: iacopo.russo on 13/10/2021 15:15:34
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Robert wrote to us to asks:
My father was a medical orderly in Burma in the 2nd world war. Many procedures they performed then appear to have been forgotten. One was the use of potassium permagnetite for throat infections. Gargling with this chemical can be very effective, but should you accidentally swallow the solution the stomach immediately throws it back out.
How does the stomach detect this poison and not allow it entry?
What do you think?
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Interesting Question.
The body somehow knows what's not good for it.
Some defence mechanism gets activated.
Ps - i heard a weird, perhaps untrue story about Napoleon.
He lost some war, was depressed, & consumed Poison.
But Napoleon being Napoleon, they said, thought himself to be a Great Man.
Hence instead of a sip or two, which might have been sufficient to take down an ordinary man, Napoleon topped to bottomed the whole bottle of poison.
& They said, due to excess consumption, his body reacted n he ended up vomiting it all.
(It's probably a folklore)
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"How does the stomach detect poison?"
Typically. because the poison damages it.
And the response is to produce muscle contractions which usually help get rid of the poison.
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My guess would be that a seepage into the gut, a reaction from the bad substance reacting with the intestine.
I'm sure Chris could answer this.
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"How does the stomach detect poison?"
Typically. because the poison damages it.
And the response is to produce muscle contractions which usually help get rid of the poison.
Ps - B_C Already Did!
Ignorance is bliss...But Not Always.
✌️