What is the Meaning & Definition of Toxicology

Toxicology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study and the effects that are toxic substances on the body. Formally to these are known as Xenobiotics and consist of compounds which have a chemical structure that nature or does not exist or is not usual, basically, because it's compounds that were appropriately synthesized in laboratories by the man.
It should be noted that also Toxicology deals with analyzing the severity, reversibility that boast mentioned toxic compounds once they have entered in our body and on the other hand both treat and prevent the diseases that in some cases these know trigger as part of their harmful action in organisms.
However, toxic substances are able to come to the body through various ways such as: respiratory, that it is the most common; Digestive and skin. It is worth mentioning that the toxicity reported a toxic substance will be closely linked to the dose to which it is exposed.
The study of the origins and scope of toxic substances is being addressed since ancient times. It was a regular practice in the Paleolithic times and at the behest of the hunt, the contamination of the tips of the arrows with bacteria, usually from parts of corpses, skin of animals and even vegetable poisons. Later, in Greece, was common the use of poison with a mission to run rivals.
With the passing of time and progress on the subject, toxicology, already converted into formal discipline is has divided into various branches that are associated to the type of poison that address, the type of area and type of patient: Occupational Toxicology (analyzes the chemicals that are present in the workplace), environmental toxicology (focuses on the study of environmental contaminants that adversely affect living organisms) , Ecotoxicology (deals with detect and analyze the toxic effects that have certain chemicals in communities living in certain ecosystems) and food Toxicology (deals with the study of those toxic present in foods that are swallowed).
The scientist Mateu Orfila, a native of the island of Menorca, Spain, considered as the pioneer and father of toxicology.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.