History of Modern Clinical Toxicology

History of Modern Clinical Toxicology describes the extraordinary advances in the practice of clinical toxicology within the past 70 years and brings together stories of the people – the champions of clinical toxicology - who contributed to these advances, discovered new therapies and antidotes, and made change happen. This book lays out the poison control system they built and the fascinating story of how they created a new and evolving medical specialty. With the participation of renowned international experts as authors, the book showcases the development of poison control centers around the world and the growth of the professional societies that represent and support them today. This book also tells the stories of the modern-day toxic disasters and recent toxic exposures that gained worldwide attention and notoriety. It outlines the public health responses to such calamities which have led to improvements in our understanding of the science and changes in public health policies and regulations to forestall future such events. Finally, the book covers key policies and agencies affecting poison control centers, addresses the challenges facing clinical toxicologists of today, and predicts advances and future innovations in the field. History of Modern Clinical Toxicology is a unique resource that provides the historical and international perspective that will help students, practitioners, scientists, and health policy makers put current issues and methods in perspective. It will help them understand how infrastructure and processes in clinical toxicology have evolved and why poison control systems are configured as they are.- Offers descriptions of the key regulatory advances affecting clinical toxicology- Provides synopses of modern-day poisoning disasters- Outlines the development of modern antidotes and future directions in clinical toxicology- Describes the origins and development of the U.S. poison control system- Includes the origins and features of professional clinical toxicology societies from around the world- Includes descriptions of the history of clinical toxicology and poison control in more than 35 countries

About the Author

Dr. Alan Woolf has been the Director of the Region 1 New England Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, a facility that offers consultation to health professionals and the public about clinical topics in environmental toxicology, for more than 20 years. He was also the Medical Director of the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Poison Control Center for 18 years. He is a former president of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology and the American Association of Poison Control Centers, two of the premier clinical toxicology societies in America. Dr. Woolf is a Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School (HMS), Director of the Pediatric Environmental Health Center at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), and Director of the Fellowship Training Program in Pediatric and Reproductive Environmental Health at BCH. Dr. Woolf and his colleagues research includes topics in clinical toxicology, medical therapies in the management of childhood poisonings, and topics in poisoning epidemiology and prevention.