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People have always been curious about the plants and animals with which they coexist. Primitive cultures identified edible and poisonous plants largely by trial and error, and then used them for hunting, executions, euthanasia, and magico-religious rites, as well as for their... Read Full Overview

This absorbing account of the evolution of modern medicine from its roots in folk culture will entertain and inform both scientists and general readers alike. It explains the chemical basis of modern pharmacology, and provides a fascinating description of the use and abuse of... Read Full Overview

People have always been curious about the plants and animals with which they coexist. Primitive cultures identified edible and poisonous plants by a process of trial and error, and then began to exploit the toxic materials for hunting, euthanasia, executions, and murder. Other... Read Full Overview