Although, even if true, I don't think access to hemlock and opium was very wide societally
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
"The execution was carried out with a dose of poison potion called pharmakon according to the tradition. The death of Socrates is described in Plato's Socratic dialogue, Phaedo [127,156].
Often the poison that killed Socrates has been suggested to have been poison hemlock [157]. Plato's description of the death of Socrates might be true based on the results of research by Arihan et al. [122], according to which coniine has antinociceptive activity. It may have been a mixture of koneion (poison hemlock) and for example opium, myrrh, and wine [121,122,126,127,156,157]. Correctly performed the poison, as in Plato's description, would speed the death [127]. Theophrastus' Enquiry into Plants describes how to prepare hemlock for quick and painless death; poppy and other similar herbs are mixed with it. However, there is no information concerning which hemlock plant the recipe uses, poison hemlock (C. maculatum), water hemlock (Cicuta sp.) or water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata L.) [158].
There are several factors supporting the theory that poison hemlock was one of the components of the poison administered to Socrates. The paralysis started from the feet, death was due to respiratory failure, the feeling of "cold" and "stiffness" was in the calves and spread upwards to the chest, the loss of feeling in the legs and the fact that death appears to have been quite quick on the basis of the dialogue. The contradictions for poison hemlock are that there was no abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea [157]. A Scottish physician, John Harley, tested poison hemlock on himself in the 19th century and his description agrees rather well with Plato's [126]. When coniine and opium are used together and tested on rats, the effects of the mixture are quicker than either alone. The symptoms are depression of respiration, very strong cyanosis, paralyzed skin sensitivity, almost absent convulsions, strong muscle paralysis, pronounced paralyzing action of coniine and lowered anesthetic power of opium. Opium and poison hemlock were used together to speed up the death of Socrates according to de Boer [121]. It could explain the skin effects in the legs and the last-minute speaking of Socrates. Poison hemlock alone would have needed administration of quite a large amount of the plant to reach the necessary dose [121].
Nevertheless, it is possible that the description of Socrates' death has some artistic license and is not entirely accurate [127], or there might be some confusion in the description of symptoms, as Plato's writing is in fact a quotation of Crito [156,157]. It is possible that Plato wanted to present a beautified picture of Socrates' passing without all the gruesome details [156]. Bloch [126], however, concluded that Plato described the poisoning of Socrates correctly once all the confusing layers are peeled away. Sullivan [158] supported the notion that poison hemlock was behind the poisoning of Socrates without a poetic license, as the description in Phaedo is quite clear"
The killer of Socrates: Coniine and Related Alkaloids in the Plant Kingdom
Coniine, a polyketide-derived alkaloid, is poisonous to humans and animals. It is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, which leads to inhibition of the nervous system, eventually causing death by suffocation in mammals. Coniine’s most ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
"The execution was carried out with a dose of poison potion called pharmakon according to the tradition. The death of Socrates is described in Plato's Socratic dialogue, Phaedo [127,156].
Often the poison that killed Socrates has been suggested to have been poison hemlock [157]. Plato's description of the death of Socrates might be true based on the results of research by Arihan et al. [122], according to which coniine has antinociceptive activity. It may have been a mixture of koneion (poison hemlock) and for example opium, myrrh, and wine [121,122,126,127,156,157]. Correctly performed the poison, as in Plato's description, would speed the death [127]. Theophrastus' Enquiry into Plants describes how to prepare hemlock for quick and painless death; poppy and other similar herbs are mixed with it. However, there is no information concerning which hemlock plant the recipe uses, poison hemlock (C. maculatum), water hemlock (Cicuta sp.) or water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata L.) [158].
There are several factors supporting the theory that poison hemlock was one of the components of the poison administered to Socrates. The paralysis started from the feet, death was due to respiratory failure, the feeling of "cold" and "stiffness" was in the calves and spread upwards to the chest, the loss of feeling in the legs and the fact that death appears to have been quite quick on the basis of the dialogue. The contradictions for poison hemlock are that there was no abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea [157]. A Scottish physician, John Harley, tested poison hemlock on himself in the 19th century and his description agrees rather well with Plato's [126]. When coniine and opium are used together and tested on rats, the effects of the mixture are quicker than either alone. The symptoms are depression of respiration, very strong cyanosis, paralyzed skin sensitivity, almost absent convulsions, strong muscle paralysis, pronounced paralyzing action of coniine and lowered anesthetic power of opium. Opium and poison hemlock were used together to speed up the death of Socrates according to de Boer [121]. It could explain the skin effects in the legs and the last-minute speaking of Socrates. Poison hemlock alone would have needed administration of quite a large amount of the plant to reach the necessary dose [121].
Nevertheless, it is possible that the description of Socrates' death has some artistic license and is not entirely accurate [127], or there might be some confusion in the description of symptoms, as Plato's writing is in fact a quotation of Crito [156,157]. It is possible that Plato wanted to present a beautified picture of Socrates' passing without all the gruesome details [156]. Bloch [126], however, concluded that Plato described the poisoning of Socrates correctly once all the confusing layers are peeled away. Sullivan [158] supported the notion that poison hemlock was behind the poisoning of Socrates without a poetic license, as the description in Phaedo is quite clear"
