Arsenic and picrotoxin: What was on the PBS back in 1951
The arsenic-based options may have been safer than the PBS-funded 5mg ampoules of picrotoxin.
Modern medicine is a scientific wonder, and one reason why there are now nearly a thousand different medicines available to doctors through the PBS to treat the ailments of both mind and body.
These medicines range from the humble statin costing a few dollars, to modulator therapies for cystic fibrosis costing hundreds of thousands.
Back in 1951, however, it was a little different.
There were just 200 medications on the list, and they still included arsenicals and picrotoxins.
