What killed Socrates? Toxicological considerations and questions.
other · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 19240286.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1136/pgmj.2008.074922.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
The death of Socrates in 399 BCE, as reported by Plato in the Phaedo, is usually attributed to poisoning with common hemlock. His progressive centripetal paralysis is characteristic of that poison. Socrates is said to have had a prominent loss of sensation extending centrally from his legs, which is not a feature of hemlock poisoning, and he seems not to have had the unpleasant taste or common gastrointestinal effects of that poison. It is suggested that Plato gave a modified account of the death of Socrates for political and other reasons by describing a more "noble" death.
Medical subject headings
- Alkaloids
- Famous Persons
- Hemlock
- Plant Poisoning