In July 1958 a poison control center staffed 24 hours a day opened at UT Memorial Research Center and Hospital. Started by Dr. Robert F. Lash, the center had on file the antidotes for every known poison, and had nine species of snakes preserved in glass jars so that snakebite victims could identify the type of snake that had bitten them. This poison control center was the first in East Tennessee, the nearest equivalent being at Duke University.