Botulinum toxin
In 1895 (seventy-five years later), Émile van Ermengem, professor of bacteriology and a student of Robert Koch, correctly described "Clostridium botulinum" as the bacterial source of the toxin. Thirty-four attendees at a funeral were poisoned by eating partially salted ham, an extract of which was found to cause botulism-like paralysis in laboratory animals. Van Ermengem isolated and grew the bacterium, and described its toxin, which was later purified by P Tessmer Snipe and Hermann Sommer.
Redi Award
"Osservazioni intorno alle vipere" ("Observations about the Viper") written by an Italian polymath Francesco Redi in 1664 is regarded as the milestone in the beginning of toxinology research. Redi was the first scientist to elucidate the scientific basis of snakebite and venom of the viper. He showed for the first time that the viper venom comes from the fang, not the gallbladder as it was believed; that it is not poisonous when swallowed, and effective only when it enters the bloodstream. He even demonstrated the possibility of slowing down the venom action in the blood by tight ligature before the wound. This work is heralded as the foundation of toxinology. In honour of the pioneer, the International Society on Toxinology (ISI) instituted the "Redi Award" in 1967 in recognition of scientists for their significant contributions in toxinology research.