New Remedies from Old Poisons

Botox: Taming Unruly Muscles The bacterium Clostridium botulinumproduces a poison so deadly that a few hundredths of an ounce can killa million people. Small wonder it's one of the most dreaded agents ofbiological warfare. Yet it is also one of the most widely usedtherapeutic drugs—at least in the domesticated form known as Botox. Inthis purified version the toxin is delivered in minute doses of a fewtrillionths of an ounce. It would take 70 times that amount to killsomeone. Originally developed for the treatment of uncontrollableblinking, Botox is now used to help treat some 40 ailments, rangingfrom crippling diseases such as cerebral palsy and Parkinson's toless-than-life-threatening troubles like facial wrinkles and excessivesweating. It may even ease migraines for some people. "Besides aspirinand penicillin, there are very few drugs I can think of that have somany uses," says Eric First, a physician who has studied botulinumtoxin for 12 years. "And Botox has ...