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Dr Michael Mosley explores how scientists went from finding antidotes to poisons to applying poisons as cures, a story that encompasses the planet's most deadly substances.

Dr Michael Mosley ends the series with a look at poisons, exploring the turning points when scientists went from finding antidotes to poisons to applying poisons as cures, and celebrating the eccentrics and mavericks whose breakthroughs were to pave the way for some of the most striking treatments of modern medicine. Of the medicines explored in this series, those that are derived from poisons are perhaps the most extraordinary. The story of turning poisons into medicines encompasses the planet's most deadly substances, in which we turned killers into cures.

1 hour

Last on

Tue 1 Jun 2021 23:55
BBC Four

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Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:20

    Luke Richards

    Last Man On Earth

Credits

Presenter Michael Mosley
Producer Giles Harrison
Director Giles Harrison
Series Producer Steve Crabtree
Executive Producer Tina Fletcher-Hill

Broadcasts

  • Thu 17 Oct 2013 21:00
    BBC Four
  • Fri 18 Oct 2013 02:40
    BBC Four
  • Tue 22 Oct 2013 23:30
    BBC Four
  • Sat 8 Feb 2014 20:00
    BBC Four
  • Sun 9 Feb 2014 02:45
    BBC Four
  • Wed 12 Feb 2014 00:15
    BBC Four
  • Thu 5 Mar 2015 20:00
    BBC Four
  • Tue 4 Oct 2016 22:45
    BBC Four
  • Tue 27 Jun 2017 20:00
    BBC Four
  • Wed 28 Jun 2017 02:00
    BBC Four
  • Thu 7 Jun 2018 23:00
    BBC Four
  • Thu 31 Oct 2019 23:30
    BBC Four
  • Mon 4 May 2020 16:00
    Red Button One
  • Tue 5 May 2020 15:00
    Red Button One
  • Tue 5 May 2020 20:00
    BBC Four
  • Wed 6 May 2020 02:30
    BBC Four
  • Wed 6 May 2020 18:00
    Red Button One
  • Thu 7 May 2020 16:00
    Red Button One
  • Fri 8 May 2020 17:00
    Red Button One
  • Fri 15 May 2020 17:00
    Red Button One
  • Tue 1 Jun 2021 23:55
    BBC Four

Featured in...

  • Pain, Pus and Poison

    Michael Mosley tells the story of the creation of our most useful and valuable drugs.

Michael Mosley on the drugs derived from deadly poisons

Michael Mosley on the drugs derived from deadly poisons

Discovering the unlikely source of many of our remarkable medicines.

Find out more on Infection, Poison and Managing long term health conditions with the Open University

Find out more on Infection, Poison and Managing long term health conditions with the Open University

Find out more with the Open University.