MY CURIOSITY ABOUT how a poison control center works was answered during a refresher course at MacNeal Memorial Hospital in Berwyn, Illinois. There is a poison control center at that hospital-located in their emergency room. The purpose of the poison control center is to serve as an information as well as a treatment center. It follows that when someone telephones to the poison control center for help, the call is taken by the chief resident physician. If he needs consultation, one of three staff physicians is always available to him. To help the physician determine rapidly what treatment is most effective, the center keeps an extensive file of information about poisons including formulas of and antidotes for cleaning solutions, cosmetics, and other chemical products. The information is kept on five-byseven-inch cards and in a large looseleaf notebook. As new information