How much in one drop?

'If you drink much from a bottle marked 'poison', it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later."

--Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.

How much must one drink from such a bottle for it to disagree? And to what degree would it disagree? How can we be sure that the poison is actually poison? Just because it says one thing, does not mean it is that one thing. It could easily be doing its inanimate best to trick you into believing something unlikely or even impossible.

I am reminded of the scene from The Princess Bride in which Westley and Vizzini sit down to match wits. Vizzini goes through numerous theories while Westley sits patiently, knowing the outcome regardless of Vizzini's decision. All the while, the (first-time) audience sits tensely grabbing the edges of their seat waiting for the inevitable and painful experience to follow taking a sip out of one of the determinedly poisoned cups. Of course, us PB veterans know that the dashing blonde-haired, blue-eyed Westley will live to save the day and the girl. Maybe that's Alice's saving grace - blonde hair and blue eyes. Ah, the Aryan regime still remains - how truly unfortunate.

So what is really in that bottle, Alice? Poison? Not-Poison? Something even more horrific (like some grossly colored protein smoothie that your mother is trying to trick you into drinking because you didn't eat your peas last night at dinner? [ew, peas.]) Do you dare to take a drink? Do you dare to have that poison disagree?