BETWEEN MEDICINE AND PHARMACY: POLISH TOXICOLOGY FROM THE 16TH
TO THE 19TH CENTURY
Ani a Magowska
The pape aims o p esen he beginnings o oxicology in Poland. Fi s ly, oxicology was a ield
o physicians’ in e es s, bu i had been ans o med in o pha maceu ical knowledge du ing he
Age o Enligh enmen . The s udy discussed his ans o ma ion and eminds he i s Polish
oxicologis s.
The su ey o lib a y holdings was done and some his o ical me hods we e used. The au ho s
ound ha he i s Polish oxicologis was Wojciech Szeliga (died in 1585), a physician om
Wa saw. Sebas ian Sleszkowski (1569-1648) g adua ed philosophy and medicine in C acow and
nex , addi ionally he s udied medicine in I aly, and w o e he ex book “Te as ope um
medico um. De na u a eneno um, de p aese a io a enenis, pe medicamen a, e de
p aese a ionis uni e salis a enenis”; published wice in C acow in 1618 and in 1619. He also
w o e “Incompa abilis hesau us alexi e icus”; published in 1621 in B aunschweig. A amous
physician was Jan Jons on (1663-1675) oo. Because o eligious pe secu ion his amily came
om Sco land and se led as e ugees in a small own, Szamo u³y, close Poznañ. Jons on w o e
“De he iaca And omachi e ejus p aecipuis ing edien ibus”; and published i in 1634 in Lugundi.
Jan Szas e , a physician and he i s Polish p o esso o pha macy, ga e he i s lec u es on
oxicology and medico-legal p oblems in 1786 in C acow.
The i s p o esso o oxicology in Poland was Józe Sawiczewski (1762-1825), who g adua ed
pha macy in 1792. His mos impo an book was a ex book on medical chemis y . Sawiczewski
p o ed ha oxicology had o be included in pha macy.
The au ho s concluded ha he i s Polish oxicologis s we e doc o s o pha macis s who made a
conside able con ibu ion o he de elopmen o oxicology as mode n science in Eu ope o he
ime.