Poisoning with chemicals, drugs, toxins, etc., constitutes a global problem with significant morbidity and mortality, but it is poorer countries such as those in Asia or Africa that bear the brunt owing to lack of awareness, absence of safety regulations, general apathy, and neglect of the field of Toxicology by all the stakeholders, including medical professionals who are expected to ameliorate the situation by effective management of poisoned victims. It is only of late that doctors in these countries have begun to appreciate their crucial role in the reduction of both morbidity and mortality in poisoning incidents. India in particular has been slow in realizing the importance of toxicology in the medical field, as a result of which doctors have not been trained adequately in the management of poisoning. This is reflected in the dismal statistics: more than 2 lakh people die every year from poisoning, with just one entity (snakebite envenomation) accounting for about 50,000 deaths! This is where the important role that professional organizations that deal with toxicology play, comes into the picture. The Indian Society of Toxicology (IST) is one such professional body that has been actively involved with elevating the status of this neglected specialty in the last 18 years, thereby providing doctors, scientists and researchers with a national platform for acquainting each other with cutting edge developments in the field. This inevitably translates into improved knowledge, skills and expertise in the diagnosis and management of poisoning, besides helping to devise strategies to minimize the incidence of poisoning. Every year, IST has been holding conferences, workshops and meetings relating to various issues in toxicology across the country. This year, the 15 th annual national conference (TOXOCON-15) has come to Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is being organized by Dr Narendra Nath Jena, the dynamic head of emergency medicine and critical care of Meenakshi Mission Hospital, and will take place over 3 days (10-12 Dec 2021) under the theme of “Recent Advances and Newer Trends in Toxicology”.
It is expected that this year’s conference (TOXOCON-15) will be a watershed moment in the history of medical toxicology in India, as it is for the first time that so many experts from so many fields will be deliberating on the current concepts of medical toxicology in all its permutations and combinations for the benefit of specialists and students drawn from various medical disciplines from across the country.
