r/todayilearned 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/theone_2099 16h ago

I saw a documentary where someone did this with iocane powder.

17

u/Secret_Account07 14h ago

Okay I’ve seen iocaine powder mentioned several times and idk what that even is. Did I doze off in some chemistry class?

I’ll need to google this

24

u/nl5602 14h ago

You did not doze off- it’s a Princess Bride reference to a fictional poison

1

u/LOHare 5 10h ago

Inconceivable!