Elaborately-gilded drug jar for storing mithridate. By Annibale Fontana, about 1580-90. Courtesy, J. Paul Getty Museum.

This article is about the remedy; Mithridate is also a play by Jean Racine.

Mithridate, also known as as mithridatium or mithridaticum, is a semi-mythical remedy with as many as 65 ingredients, used as an antidote for poisoning, and said to be created by Mithridates VI of Pontus. It was among one of the most complex, highly sought after drugs during the Renaissance, particularly in Italy and France, where they were in continual use for centuries ^[7]. An updated recipe called theriac (Theriacum Andromachi) was known well into the 19th century. ^[1] View of a building at the Getty Center, from the Central Garden. ... Jean Racine (December 22, 1639 – April 21, 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the big three of 17th century France (along with Molière and Corneille). ... An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. ... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ... Mithridates VI of Pontus, (132 BC- 63 BC), called Eupator Dionysius, also known as Mithridates the Great, was the king of Pontus in Asia Minor and one of Romes most formidable and successful enemies, meeting and engaging three of the most successful generals of the late Republic. ... In the traditional view, the Renaissance is understood as an historical age that was preceded by the Middle Ages and followed by the Reformation. ... When King Mithridates was defeated by the Romans they got the recipe for Antidotum Mithridates, a universal antidote created by Mithridates himself. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Its ingredients included opium, myrrh, agaric, saffron, ginger, cinnamon, spikenard, frankincense, castor, pepper, gentian, the dried flesh of vipers ^[2], Malabathrum ^[4], etc. The preparation was considered a cordial, opiate, sudorific, and alexipharmic. Petrus Andreas Matthiolus considered it more effectual against poisons than venice treacle, and easier to make.^[1] Opium is a narcotic analgesic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L. or the synonym paeoniflorum). ... 100g of Myrrh. ... Agaric is when someone is incredibly angry and goes into a state in which that can not physically stop saying GAR this causes their head to nod rapidly until it falls off. ... Binomial name Crocus sativus L. Saffron (IPA: ) is a piece of shit spice. ... Binomial name Zingiber officinale Roscoe Ginger root is used extensively as a spice in many if not most cuisines of the world. ... Binomial name Cinnamomum verum J.Presl Cassia (Indonesian cinnamon) is also commonly called (and sometimes sold as) cinnamon. ... Binomial name Nardostachys grandiflora DC. Spikenard (also nard and muskroot) is a flowering plant of the Valerian family that grows in the Himalayas of India and Nepal. ... 100g of frankincense resin. ... Castor may refer to one of the following. ... Binomial name Piper nigrum L. Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. ... Species See text Gentian is the common name for the genus Gentiana L. 1753, belonging to the Gentian family (Gentianaceae), tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. ... Genera Adenorhinos Atheris Azemiops Bitis Cerastes Daboia Echis Eristicophis Macrovipera Montatheris Proatheris Pseudocerastes Vipera This page is about Viper snakes. ... Malabathrum, also known as Malabar leaf is the name used in classical and medieval texts for the leaf of the plant Cinnamomum tamala. ... A cordial is any invigorating and stimulating preparation; as, a peppermint cordial. ... The term opiate refers to the alkaloids found in opium, an extract from the seed pods of the opium poppy (). It has also traditionally referred to natural and semi-synthetic derivatives of morphine. ... Sweating (also called perspiration or sometimes transpiration) is the loss of a watery fluid, consisting mainly of sodium chloride and urea in solution, that is secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. ... An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. ...

Mithridate takes its name from its inventor, Mithridates, King of Pontus, who is said to have so fortified his body against poisons with antidotes and preservatives, that when he tried to kill himself, he could not find any poison that would have an effect. The receipt of it was found in his cabinet, written with his own hand, and was carried to Rome by Pompey. It was translated into verse by Damocrates, a famous physician, and was afterwards translated by Galen. It likely underwent considerable alterations since the time of its royal prescriber.^[1] For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Marble bust of Pompey the Great For the ancient Roman city, see Pompeii. ... Claudius Galenus of Pergamum (131-201 AD), better known in English as Galen, was an ancient Greek physician. ...

Mithridate was used as part of a regimen to ward off potential threats of plague. According to Simon Kellwaye (1593), one should "take a great Onyon, make a hole in the myddle of him, then fill the place with Mitridat or Triacle, and some leaues of Rue" ^[5]. Until as late as 1786, physicians in London could officially prescribe mithridate.^[2] A pandemic (from Greek pan all + demos people) is an epidemic (an outbreak of an infectious disease) that spreads worldwide, or at least across a large region. ... Binomial name Allium cepa L. Onion in the general sense can be used for any plant in the Genus Allium but used without qualifiers usually means Allium cepa L., also called the garden onion. ... In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... Species Between 8-40 species, including: Ruta angustifolia- Egyptian Rue Ruta chalepensis- Fringed Rue Ruta corsica- Corsican Rue Ruta graveolens- Common Rue Ruta montana- Mountain Rue Rue (Ruta) is a genus of strongly scented evergreen subshrubs 20-60 cm tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, Macaronesia... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation) and Defining London (below). ...

The term mithridate has come to refer to any generally all-purpose antidote.^[3]

Criticism

Pliny (Natural History, XXIX.24-25) was skeptical of mithridate and other such theriacs, with their numerous ingredients: Pliny the Elder: an imaginative 19c portrait. ... Naturalis Historia Pliny the Elders Natural History is an encyclopedia written by Pliny the Elder. ...

"The Mithridatic antidote is composed of fifty-four ingredients, no two of them having the same weight, while of some is prescribed one sixtieth part of one denarius. Which of the gods, in the name of Truth, fixed these absurd proportions? No human brain could have been sharp enough. It is plainly a showy parade of the art, and a colossal boast of science." ^[6]

In literature

In A. E. Houseman's collection of poetry titled A Shropshire Lad, there is a poem about King Mithridates and his antidote's amazing abilities: Alfred Edward Housman (March 26, 1859 – April 30, 1936), usually known as A.E. Housman, was an English poet and classical scholar, now best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad. ... Poetry (from Ancient Greek: (poiéo/poió) = I create) is traditionally a written art form (although there is also an ancient and modern poetry which relies mainly upon oral or pictorial representations) in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional...

There was a king reigned in the East:

There, when kings will sit to feast,

They get their fill before they think

With poisoned meat and poisoned drink.

He gathered all the springs to birth

From the many-venomed earth;

First a little, thence to more,

He sampled all her killing store;

And easy, smiling, seasoned sound,

Sate the king when healths went round.

They put arsenic in his meat

And stared aghast to watch him eat;

They poured strychnine in his cup

And shook to see him drink it up:

They shook, they stared as white’s their shirt:

Them it was their poison hurt.

--I tell the tale that I heard told.

Mithridates, he died old. ^[6]

References

1. ^{^} This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. "Mithridate".
2. ^{^} Nature. 14 Sept 1989. 115/1.
3. ^{^} Sci. Monthly. Sept 1932. 244/1.
4. ^{^} Dunglison, Robley. 1848. Medical lexicon. A dictionary of medical science.
5. ^{^} Kellwaye, Simon. 1593. A defensatiue against the plague contayning two partes or treatises.... 32.
6. ^{^} Grout, James. Mithridatum. Encyclopaedia Romana. URL accessed on 2006-01-26.
7. ^{^}  Pair of Drug Jars. The J. Paul Getty Museum. URL accessed on 2006-01-26.

Cyclopaedia; or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (folio, 2 vols. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... First title page, November 4, 1869 Nature is one of the oldest and most reputable scientific journals, first published on 4 November 1869. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Mithridatization