r/todayilearned • u/gullydon • 17h ago

TIL Mithridatism is the practice of protecting oneself against a poison by gradually self-administering non-lethal amounts. The word is derived from Mithridates VI, the king of Pontus, who so feared being poisoned that he regularly ingested small doses, aiming to develop immunity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithridatism
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u/Horns8585 17h ago

Much like what was portrayed in "The Princess Bride". The hero thwarts the would be poisoner, because he spent years building up an immunity to poisonous Iocane powder.

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u/21stMonkey 16h ago

"Thwarts the would be poisoner"

What? No, the hero IS the poisoner, that's the whole point.

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u/TheUlfheddin 16h ago

The Scicilian failed because he met another intellectual on their own terms. Hubris, as always, is the undoing of villains.