Polite Dissent

Two recent comic books have dealt with poisons produced by various members of the animal kingdom.

First, in 1602 #3, Clea is leading Peter Parker through Dr. Strange’s house. Indicating a porcupine fish, she says:

That fish, when dried and ground, causes a man to become insensible and to feel no pain.

Porcupine fish, pufferfish and related fish contain a poison known as tetrodotoxin. It is a very potent neurotoxin (nerve poison). In low doses it causes a tingling and numbness of the tongue and mouth. Higher doses cause tingling and numbness of the face and extremities and then paralysis of the limbs. Higher doses yet cause worsening paralysis, difficulty breathing, and a drop in blood pressure. Mental impairment, convulsions, cardiac arrhythmias and death may occur. The line between a safe dose and a toxic dose is very thin and easy to cross.

Tetrodotoxin does cause a numbness, but it’s the “I hit my funny bone and now my arm is tingling and numb” kind of numbness. That’s quite a bit different from feeling “no pain.” At extremely high doses, that kind of anesthesia may be possible, but so is death. It’s not a chance I’d recommend taking (but then I’m not the Sorcereor Supreme). As a side note, I’m unclear if drying the fish would have any affect on the toxin.

In Harley & Ivy #2, Poison Ivy defeats Burn by pelting him with mud containing Poison Arrow frogs. He keels over and lies rigid in a mud puddle. Glaring at him, she says:

Just touching one brings instant paralysis. You’ll be able to move again in a couple of hours.

Ivy is overstating the power of the frog’s toxin. Different Poison Arrow frogs (also known as Poison Dart frogs) have different toxins. The most potent, batrachotoxin, is extremely powerful. A single frog has enough to kill 50-100 people. However, the toxin needs to get into the bloodstream to work. The toxins cannot be absorbed through the skin unless the skin is cut or otherwise broken open. There are differing opinions whether swallowing the poison has any affect.

The skin around the mouth (and skin in more “southern” regions) is better at absorbing medications, so a couple of frogs to the kisser may have gotten the toxin into Burn. I’ll give Ivy the benefit of the doubt, but even then the toxin wouldn’t work instantaneously, it would take several minutes to kick in.

She’s partially right about the symptoms. Low doses of bratrachotoxin cause irreversible muscular contractions; higher doses lead to cardiac arrhythmias and death. Some of the less potent frogs contain weaker toxins cause the muscular paralysis she describes.