Delicious death: tis the season for toxic Christmas treats

Poison isn't confined to Agatha Christie TV specials: many Christmas favourites harbour deadly secrets

Paracelsus, a sixteenth century German Swiss philosopher who brought a new approach to medical and toxicological theory famously wrote, "The dose makes the poison"; in essence, too much is too much. This may seem like stating the obvious, but it's one of those things that needed saying to make people think about it properly. Just how much of something is too much? And, in the season of overindulgence, is there anything we should be concerned about?

Obviously, overeating isn't healthy in the first place, but who can resist that extra mince pie or the last roast potato? As the pile of empty sweet wrappers grew beside me, and the doors on my chocolate advent calendar told me I had apparently achieved time travel and I was living at least two weeks in the future, I started to worry. So, I sat down to have a think about Paracelsus and some of the more toxic treats available to us at Christmas.