Toxicology is a topic that is increasingly discussed in our society. On the one hand, it is associated with the growing health awareness of the average Pole, on the other, it indicates that the search for effective methods of treatment is more and more important for us. Let us try to briefly answer the question what toxicology does.
Toxicology is the name that describes the modern discipline of scientific knowledge that studies the nature and mode of action of toxic substances and the consequences of their consumption by humans. It primarily examines their chemical properties and the way they function in contact with the organic and inorganic environment. For this purpose toxicology develops sophisticated methods of detecting, recognizing and typologizing hazardous substances. He also studies their chemical structure.
On the area toxicology the achievements of such fields of science as chemistry, physics, pharmacy, medicine and physiology are combined. Toxicological studies in this respect, they are very useful for society; Thanks to them, today we know how to proceed in the case of poisoning of various types and degrees. Toxicology mainly divided into three main collections: toxicology general, specific and empirical (otherwise experimental).
The name of this field is an amalgamation of two terms derived from classical Greek. Toxon is a word for a substance that is used in the preparation of poison arrows. Logos, on the other hand, is as much as science as commonly understood. Toxicology it is therefore a body of scientific knowledge about toxins. It is particularly useful in almost all sub-disciplines of medicine, including forensic and veterinary medicine.
Toxicologists at work
The work of a toxicologist It differs significantly from the routine work of physicians of other specializations. In a sense, the toxicologist combines the functions of both a doctor and a detective looking for a person guilty of a crime. At the same time, he uses the knowledge of various sciences – primarily chemistry and pharmacology – to discover which toxic agent is responsible for causing the effects his patient is struggling with. Carrying out such medical investigations is a normal job at work toxicologist.
His qualifications are useful in various institutions of social life. Starting from hospitals where poisoning victims most often go, to public order institutions such as the police or the prosecutor’s office, to courts for which toxicologists they issue expert opinions after finishing. In each of these places tokyolog he may find a place for himself, and his knowledge may prove useful in solving a given problem. Toxicologists They also conduct their own research on the epidemic and the harmful effects of chemicals, both those that are difficult to access and those with which everyone comes into contact on a daily basis.
Toxicological studies
Toxicological study is used not only in the case of extremely dangerous poisonings, although these are part of the constant repertoire of problems that they struggle with toxicologists. These tests are also recommended when poisoning in a patient is suspected as one of the possible causes of unwanted symptoms. Toxicology it can be helpful regardless of whether the patient has ingested the dangerous substance consciously or not. It is worth noting that toxicology turns out to be helpful in two particularly demanding situations. The first is the situation of poisoning with substances belonging to the group of drugs. Toxicology can then answer the question of what drug the person was under at the time of the onset of the symptoms. The second situation concerns the deceased whose causes of death are unknown. In that cases toxicological study can reveal the reason that led to death.
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What does the toxicology test look like?
Toxicological study is based on the analysis of the chemical composition of tissues from the human body, such as hair, skin, but most of all various types of fluids: urine, body fluids, cerebrospinal fluid and, above all, blood. Each of these materials can be a source of information about the toxins ingested by man.
Toxicological departments They are currently located in almost every major city in Poland: Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Gdańsk and Łódź, and are slowly being opened in subsequent ones. This is due to its great suitability toxicological studies for other social institutions. One of the important specializations of this discipline is forensic toxicology, the representatives of which provide expertise in situations of crimes or offenses related to the use or administration of illegal substances (for example, causing psychedelic sensations) to others. Toxicologist he is then a person giving an expert opinion, which is sometimes the basis for issuing a judgment. Toxicology It is also useful in the prevention of addiction, it allows you to diagnose the degree of addiction to a given chemical substance and its effects.