A man gave himself an ailment rarely seen in the last hundred years after consulting ChatGPT on how to cut down on salt in his diet

The Medic facepalms at a bank of computer screens.

If you've ever read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen you may be familiar with old-timey ads for products like Bromo-Seltzer, a miracle cure-all for headaches, hangovers, nausea, nervousness, and all manner of ailments. Why is this medical marvel not available over the counter today? Because it contains bromide, which can build up to toxic levels in humans if regularly ingested, leading to bromism—a condition with symptoms including severe rash, hallucinations, and psychosis.

Bromism was once so common it was blamed for "up to 8% of psychiatric admissions" according to a recently published paper on the subject. Bromide has long been banned as an ingredient in medicine, so why was a paper on it recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine? We can thank Doctor ChatGPT for that.