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Acquired Poison Immunity: Difference between revisions
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** Speaking of Magellan, after he nearly kills Luffy with a cocktail of extremely deadly poisons, Luffy proves resistant to one of those poisons when it's used on him again in a different story arc.
* In ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]],'' Ash has gotten fried by Pikachu so many times that he's built up a near-total immunity to electric shocks, surviving jolts that were outright ''exploding'' whatever they hit in a later episode. Meowth also made use of his Pikachu-induced shockproofing once.
== Comic Books ==
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** In the animated series this is [[Hand Wave|Handwaved]] by having Ivy just give her a vaccine against them.
* It's actually a somewhat common martial arts technique in the comics Jademan translated for US release in the 80's and 90's. Indeed, most poison immune characters could actually manipulate their immunity so they could cure someone else's poison by drawing a bit of their own blood and feeding it to them.
== Fan Works ==
* ''[[Aeon Entelechy Evangelion]]'' combines this with [[Conditioned to Accept Horror]] in Asuka's EVA pilot training, which included controlled desensitizing to anything that causes sanity loss.
* The titular badger in ''[[The Urthblood Saga]]'', [[Badass Abnormal|among his other powers]], has built up an immunity to all but the strongest poisons from this method. One poor ferret who tried to poison him and take over his army learned this the [[Cruel and Unusual Death|hard way...]]
== Film ==
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* In the 2008 movie ''[[Get Smart (film)|Get Smart]]'', 99 sprays Max with knockout gas. Max says that he developed an immunity to it, then passes out while cursing, "Oh, it's the new stuff!"
* Pat Morita's character in ''[[King Cobra]]'' is a snake handler who regularly injects himself with doses of snake venom to develop immunity. He's able to shrug off getting bitten by the giant snake once, but after getting bitten a few more times, he weakens and dies.
== Literature ==
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* The murderer in the [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] novel ''Strong Poison'' builds up an immunity to arsenic in this way. This does ''not'' work in [[Real Life]]...though the reference books Lord Peter reads really do exist, and they really do [[Blatant Lies|claim it could work]].
* A [[Discworld]] novel or two mentions a food-taster who has ingested so many poisons that he's not only immune to them but can recognise them by taste (very handy). He can also tarnish silver by breathing on it (not so handy).
** The [[Our Vampires Are Different|vampires]] in ''[[
* In ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo (novel)|The Count of Monte Cristo]]'', old Monsieur Noirtier survives a murder attempt using poison because he has been taking a medicine that contains the same compound, and has built up a resistance to it. Realizing that his granddaughter and heir Valentine is also a target, he starts giving her small doses of his medicine; this saves her life when the poisoner has a go at her. Of course the poisoner later tries again using a different poison, but by then Valentine's [[Love Interest]] Maximilien has called in his friend the Count of Monte Cristo, who saves the day in his own inimitable style.
* Poisoning is the de facto assassination method of the Nyissans in the ''[[Belgariad]]''. So much so that any government official who lives for very long (case in point: Sadi) has not only long since acquired immunity to some poisons, but is trained to recognize many more, and doses himself with antidotes frequently, just in case.
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* [[Malus Darkblade]] develops dermal immunity to poison after years of smearing himself with venomous slime of the huge fearsome lizard he uses as a mount, which he'd been doing so that the beast would allow him near it.
* In [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''Curtain'', Hercule Poirot drugs the murderer using his own sleeping pills, which he has been taking for many years. He uses the same gambit as Westley does in ''The Princess Bride'', poisoning both cups while implying that only one cup is poisoned.
== Live Action TV ==
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* ''[[The Cape (2010 TV series)|The Cape]]'', a 2010-2011 series, used it when the titular character, learning he was dealing with a poisoner, took it upon himself to work up an immunity to everything the guy was likely to utilize. {{spoiler|We didn't get to see if the immunities actually HELD, [[Subverted Trope|because the guy just tried to run him through.]] }}
* ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit|Law and Order Special Victims Unit]]'' episode "Wet". A man is believed to have committed murder by poisonous mushroom spores. He built up an immunity to them through years of exposure.
== Tabletop Games ==
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* Classic ''[[Traveller]]'' supplement ''SORAG: Handbook of Organization and Equipment''. During the [[PC]] creation process it was possible for a SORAG agent to be assigned to the Medical Division. During the assignment the agent could be given an immunity to Truth Drug by injections of small doses of the drug over an extended period under carefully controlled conditions to build up the body's natural resistance. There was a small chance of the agent's body resisting the treatment, in which case no immunity was gained and the agent's Endurance dropped by 1 point.
* ''Starblazer Adventures'', based on the 1980's British science fiction [[Comic Book]]. The Developed Immunities stunt gave immunity to almost all common poisons and strong resistance to uncommon ones, gained through careful exposure to them.
== Truth In Television ==▼
* As noted above, the official term for this (Mithridatism) comes from King Mithridates VI, a king of Pontus. He feared assassination so badly that he took small doses of poison regularly in order to become immune to the poison's effects. His subjects often called him the Poison King, and he'd often hold banquets where, just to show off, he'd drink wine he purposely spiked with toxins in front of guests. This backfired when the king was eventually conquered. He attempted to commit suicide by poisoning himself only to find that he was immune; depending on the version of the story you hear, he then either fell upon his sword or had an underling run him through. In either case, the poem says it best: [http://www.bartelby.net/123/62.html "Mithridates, he died old."]▼
** This is a bit far-fetched. In reality, poison resistance of this sort is extremely specific, and also lapses quickly if the regimen of repeated doses is not maintained. Granted, Mithridates might not have had a month to let his own immunity lapse...▼
* Supposedly this was a very common practice amongst the upper classes in [[Ancient Rome]]. At any rate, it is referenced in the Cambridge Latin textbook series with a similar outcome to Mithridates.▼
* The movie ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' posits this as the reason clownfish can survive life among sea anemones. Scientific theories vary on the subject.▼
** Some species have natural (innate), rather than acquired, poison resistance. Mongooses, for instance, have antineurotoxic and antihemorrhagic factors in their blood by nature, as do other snake-eating species.▼
* [[Truth in Television]] for many snake handlers or bee keepers. It's possible to build an immunity to some types of venom by being near-constantly exposed to small doses of them. In fact, people with strong allergic reactions (such as individuals who would normally go into anaphylactic shock from receiving a single bee sting, or unwittingly eating a product containing peanuts) can build up a resistance in such a way, although doing it safely takes hundreds of injections over the course of several years.▼
* Though they are used to build up immunity to diseases rather than poisons, vaccines operate on this principle as well.▼
** As do antivenins: a large animal, such as a horse, is exposed to a venom, of a snake, say, repeatedly at gradually increasing levels until an immunity is developed. A serum is then drawn from which the antivenin is derived. Professional snake handlers who have similarly built up an immunity can actually donate their blood directly to people who have been poisoned in order to save their lives.▼
*** Although horses are best known for antivenom production, this was mostly because horses were readily available to the people doing the work. Horses are in fact unusually poison-susceptible for their body mass, and also, serum drawn from them can have complications in a human recipient. Sheep are increasingly the preferred intermediary.▼
*** It is noteworthy that the immune response that leads to this immunity is short-lived. While immunity to a virus will linger a lifetime, because the body can mobilize a response and produce antibodies before the virus takes hold and multiplies, poison is injected all at once. Unless someone is kept "hyperimmune" (has a sufficient stock of antibodies actively circulating in the bloodstream to deal with the injected venom) by regular inoculations of the toxin, immune response won't trigger fast enough to matter. So, a snake handler may stay immune by getting bit regularly, but after a hiatus of any substantial length, they will again be vulnerable to bites. Typically, doses are administered every 21 days to maintain hyperimmunity.▼
* According to ''[[Deadliest Warrior]]'', the African warlord Shaka Zulu spat poison into his opponent's eyes during battle. He avoided its effects himself by this method, eating small pieces of the plant it came from for years. This may or may not be true.▼
* While you can't build up an immunity to arsenic, you can build up a ''tolerance.'' When American soldiers came to the UK in World War II those stationed in Cornwall often came down with arsenic poisoning from the water that the locals could drink with no problems.▼
* The natives in San Pedro De Atacama, one of the hottest and driest wastelands in Chile, have historically developed thousands of years worth of immunity to what little water is available. For those who don't know yet, the water is laced with up to 60 TIMES THE FATAL LEVEL OF ARSENIC! However, they are not entirely unaffected, since many develop skin lesions and sometimes cancer from this overexposure.▼
* This trope ended up backfiring when a man from Russia attempted to swallow small quantities of toxic mushrooms, arsenic, and cyanide daily to strengthen his body and protect himself from death. He later went into convulsions, slipped into a coma, and died without regaining consciousness. [http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-18.html As seen here].▼
** Which is why it's probably best if you [[Don't Try This At Home|never try to imitate something you've only heard about and don't have much experience with]].▼
* African Honey Badgers. Over their life time, they develop some immunity from the poisonous snakes, scorpions, and bees they regularly prey on. In fact, a male bitten on the cheek by a highly toxic puff adder showed signs of severe pain, but recovered fully within five hours. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c81bcjyfn6U Watch it here].▼
* It also happens with a lot of drugs we don't think of as poisons. The most widespread example might be caffeine: most coffee-drinking adults and energy drink-drinking teenagers acquire a practical immunity to caffeine (in ordinary doses). A cup of coffee or two is rather effective at preventing the withdrawal symptoms than actually stimulating the nervous system of the drinker (though more serious caffeine abuse is still effective). The same thing happens with alcohol, nicotine and most illegal drugs or prescription painkillers and sleeping pills; they are dangerous because the effective dose rises faster than the lethal dose.▼
** People who had been raised drinking Cola and similar caffeinated juices from the earliest age possible have built such an immunity to caffeine that doses which are not normal by any means and would push an untrained guy to the verge of heart attack - that being a few large mugs of coffee, or a few Red Bulls one after the other - would not even stop them from sleeping just afterwards. [[Incredibly Lame Pun|As there is no such thing as a free lunch or at least a free coffee]], this denies the basic reason for which people do drink them, to stimulate the nervous system and stay awake.▼
** Similarly, this has been found to happen with antibiotics. Recently, doctors have been refusing to prescribe antibiotics to children for basic ear infections, since ear infections tend to get better on their own (and tend to usually be more annoying than dangerous,) and because eventually, over-prescribing antibiotics render them less effective in the event that they catch something more dangerous later on.▼
* According to legend, the Aztecs got their red skin tone from the arsenic in their systems obtained by taking it over time to build up immunity.▼
* CS gas is regularly used in military training for chemical warfare preparation. Instructors for this training often acquire significant resistance over time.▼
* Less biological and more psychological is that it is standard practice for police officers to be hit with a Taser or pepper spray before they carry them. This aids them in fighting through the effects, which is important since pepper spray is effected by wind and the (hard to see) wires of a deployed taser are hazardous. <ref>It also has legal benefits since an officer can say they know exactly how it feels when asked in court, but that's not really important for this trope.</ref>▼
== Video Games ==
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* In the [[Monster Hunter]] series, the titular monsters get an increase in poison resistance each time the poison status effect is applied. Hopefully this is reset for each new monster, but it prevents a hunter for using poison continuously in long fights. The same is true for KO, paralysis and traps.
▲== Webcomics ==
* In ''[[Something*Positive]]'', Kharisma tries to kill Avagadro with cyanide, which he has built up an immunity to after being poisoned by so many people over so many years. He says that he has grown accustomed to the taste, and now puts it on his cereal.
* Gilgamesh Wulfenbach of ''[[Girl Genius]]'' has immunity to many many things. Because his father "figures that a ruler should be... ''hard to kill''", what with the people across all the Europe who upset at killing that [[Mad Scientist]] or bombing this town in process... which extends to [[Overlord, Jr.|his heir]]. {{spoiler|This came in useful in a later arc, when Tarvek suffered a particularly nasty disease -- Gil was able to disregard the risk of infection}}.
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* ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]]'': Dan McNinja doesn't need to develop an immunity to poisons. His body separates it out and stores it up so he can squirt it out of his eyes. "Like a toad."
* ''[[Dead Winter]]'': Black Monday Blues' mother [http://deadwinter.cc/page/448 evokes] "building a tolerance" right before a pair of bad guys collapses.
== Web Original ==
* "[http://www.funnyjunk.com/Untitled/funny-pictures/5124273/ Shoot yourself with lower caliber bullets to build up an immunity to larger bullets]" [[Fauxtivational Poster]] meme.
== Western Animation ==
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* Dan from ''[[Dan Vs.]]'' has been hit with tear gas and pepper spray so many times that he doesn't feel their effects anymore. He can even tell the differences.
* Nigel Thornberry claims in ''[[The Wild Thornberrys]]'' that he's developed an immunity to poisonous plants by rubbing their juices all over his body.
▲== Truth In Television ==
▲* As noted above, the official term for this (Mithridatism) comes from King Mithridates VI, a king of Pontus. He feared assassination so badly that he took small doses of poison regularly in order to become immune to the poison's effects. His subjects often called him the Poison King, and he'd often hold banquets where, just to show off, he'd drink wine he purposely spiked with toxins in front of guests. This backfired when the king was eventually conquered. He attempted to commit suicide by poisoning himself only to find that he was immune; depending on the version of the story you hear, he then either fell upon his sword or had an underling run him through. In either case, the poem says it best: [http://www.bartelby.net/123/62.html "Mithridates, he died old."]
▲** This is a bit far-fetched. In reality, poison resistance of this sort is extremely specific, and also lapses quickly if the regimen of repeated doses is not maintained. Granted, Mithridates might not have had a month to let his own immunity lapse...
▲* Supposedly this was a very common practice amongst the upper classes in [[Ancient Rome]]. At any rate, it is referenced in the Cambridge Latin textbook series with a similar outcome to Mithridates.
▲* The movie ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' posits this as the reason clownfish can survive life among sea anemones. Scientific theories vary on the subject.
▲** Some species have natural (innate), rather than acquired, poison resistance. Mongooses, for instance, have antineurotoxic and antihemorrhagic factors in their blood by nature, as do other snake-eating species.
▲* [[Truth in Television]] for many snake handlers or bee keepers. It's possible to build an immunity to some types of venom by being near-constantly exposed to small doses of them. In fact, people with strong allergic reactions (such as individuals who would normally go into anaphylactic shock from receiving a single bee sting, or unwittingly eating a product containing peanuts) can build up a resistance in such a way, although doing it safely takes hundreds of injections over the course of several years.
▲* Though they are used to build up immunity to diseases rather than poisons, vaccines operate on this principle as well.
▲** As do antivenins: a large animal, such as a horse, is exposed to a venom, of a snake, say, repeatedly at gradually increasing levels until an immunity is developed. A serum is then drawn from which the antivenin is derived. Professional snake handlers who have similarly built up an immunity can actually donate their blood directly to people who have been poisoned in order to save their lives.
▲*** Although horses are best known for antivenom production, this was mostly because horses were readily available to the people doing the work. Horses are in fact unusually poison-susceptible for their body mass, and also, serum drawn from them can have complications in a human recipient. Sheep are increasingly the preferred intermediary.
▲*** It is noteworthy that the immune response that leads to this immunity is short-lived. While immunity to a virus will linger a lifetime, because the body can mobilize a response and produce antibodies before the virus takes hold and multiplies, poison is injected all at once. Unless someone is kept "hyperimmune" (has a sufficient stock of antibodies actively circulating in the bloodstream to deal with the injected venom) by regular inoculations of the toxin, immune response won't trigger fast enough to matter. So, a snake handler may stay immune by getting bit regularly, but after a hiatus of any substantial length, they will again be vulnerable to bites. Typically, doses are administered every 21 days to maintain hyperimmunity.
▲* According to ''[[Deadliest Warrior]]'', the African warlord Shaka Zulu spat poison into his opponent's eyes during battle. He avoided its effects himself by this method, eating small pieces of the plant it came from for years. This may or may not be true.
▲* While you can't build up an immunity to arsenic, you can build up a ''tolerance.'' When American soldiers came to the UK in World War II those stationed in Cornwall often came down with arsenic poisoning from the water that the locals could drink with no problems.
▲* The natives in San Pedro De Atacama, one of the hottest and driest wastelands in Chile, have historically developed thousands of years worth of immunity to what little water is available. For those who don't know yet, the water is laced with up to
▲* This trope ended up backfiring when a man from Russia attempted to swallow small quantities of toxic mushrooms, arsenic, and cyanide daily to strengthen his body and protect himself from death. He later went into convulsions, slipped into a coma, and died without regaining consciousness. [http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-18.html As seen here].
▲** Which is why it's probably best if you [[Don't Try This At Home|never try to imitate something you've only heard about and don't have much experience with]].
▲* African Honey Badgers. Over their life time, they develop some immunity from the poisonous snakes, scorpions, and bees they regularly prey on. In fact, a male bitten on the cheek by a highly toxic puff adder showed signs of severe pain, but recovered fully within five hours. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c81bcjyfn6U Watch it here].
▲* It also happens with a lot of drugs we don't think of as poisons. The most widespread example might be caffeine: most coffee-drinking adults and energy drink-drinking teenagers acquire a practical immunity to caffeine (in ordinary doses). A cup of coffee or two is rather effective at preventing the withdrawal symptoms than actually stimulating the nervous system of the drinker (though more serious caffeine abuse is still effective). The same thing happens with alcohol, nicotine and most illegal drugs or prescription painkillers and sleeping pills; they are dangerous because the effective dose rises faster than the lethal dose.
▲** People who had been raised drinking Cola and similar caffeinated juices from the earliest age possible have built such an immunity to caffeine that doses which are not normal by any means and would push an untrained guy to the verge of heart attack - that being a few large mugs of coffee, or a few Red Bulls one after the other - would not even stop them from sleeping just afterwards. [[Incredibly Lame Pun|As there is no such thing as a free lunch or at least a free coffee]], this denies the basic reason for which people do drink them, to stimulate the nervous system and stay awake.
▲** Similarly, this has been found to happen with antibiotics. Recently, doctors have been refusing to prescribe antibiotics to children for basic ear infections, since ear infections tend to get better on their own (and tend to usually be more annoying than dangerous,) and because eventually, over-prescribing antibiotics render them less effective in the event that they catch something more dangerous later on.
▲* According to legend, the Aztecs got their red skin tone from the arsenic in their systems obtained by taking it over time to build up immunity.
▲* CS gas is regularly used in military training for chemical warfare preparation. Instructors for this training often acquire significant resistance over time.
▲* Less biological and more psychological is that it is standard practice for police officers to be hit with a Taser or pepper spray before they carry them. This aids them in fighting through the effects, which is important since pepper spray is effected by wind and the (hard to see) wires of a deployed taser are hazardous. <ref>It also has legal benefits since an officer can say they know exactly how it feels when asked in court, but that's not really important for this trope.</ref>
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[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Toxic Tropes]]
[[Category:Action Adventure Tropes]]
[[Category:Pages with working Wikipedia tabs]]
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