What astonished me was the very low toxicity of a substance that has such very great physiological power. A little pinch, 5 mg, every day, is enough to keep a person from dying of pellagra, but it is so lacking in toxicity that ten thousand times as much can [sometimes] be taken without harm. (word in brackets added)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker notes a substance’s high efficacy at tiny doses and low toxicity even at massive amounts.
- In plain terms
- A tiny dose works well and large doses are still safe.
- What can you take from it?
- Consider dosage and safety margins in nutrition.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we balance efficacy with long‑term safety?
Another view
High tolerance does not guarantee safety for all individuals.
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