A taste for poison : eleven deadly molecules and the killers who used them / Neil Bradbury, Ph.D.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bradbury, Neil, author.

Contributor:

Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Poisoners--Case studies.

Poisoners.

Poisoning--Case studies.

Poisoning.

Poisons--Physiological effect--Case studies.

Poisons.

Poisons--Physiological effect.

Genre:

Case studies.

True crime stories.

Physical Description:

viii, 291 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : St. Martin's Press, 2022.

Summary:

""A fascinating tale of poisons and poisonous deeds which both educates and entertains." --Kathy Reichs A brilliant blend of science and crime, A TASTE FOR POISON reveals how eleven notorious poisons affect the body--through the murders in which they were used. As any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring-and popular-weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict? In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes-some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved-are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function. Drawn from historical records and current news headlines, A Taste for Poison weaves together the tales of spurned lovers, shady scientists, medical professionals and political assassins to show how the precise systems of the body can be impaired to lethal effect through the use of poison. From the deadly origins of the gin & tonic cocktail to the arsenic-laced wallpaper in Napoleon's bedroom, A Taste for Poison leads readers on a riveting tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive-or don't"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. I BIOMOLECULES OF DEATH

Introduction

1. Insulin and Mrs. Barlow's Bathtub

2. Atropine and Alexandra's Tonic

3. Strychnine and the Lambeth Poisoner

4. Aconite and Mrs. Singh's Curry

5. Ricin and Georgi's Waterloo Sunset

6. Digoxin and the Angel of Death

7. Cyanide and the Professor from Pittsburgh

pt. II MOLECULES OF DEATH FROM THE EARTH

8. Potassium and the Nightmare Nurse

9. Polonium and Sasha's Indiscriminate Intestine

10. Arsenic and Monsieur L'Angelier's Cocoa

11. Chlorine and the Killer Nurse of Lufkin.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

ISBN:

9781250270757

1250270758

OCLC:

1227086963