The Killer Bean of Calabar and Other Stories

The Killer Bean of Calabar and Other Stories PDF Author: Peter Macinnis
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1741154375
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
A triumphantly toxic tome. As a dedicated Macinnis fan, I relish this latest display of erudition, story-telling and fun. One of his very best.' Robyn Williams, Head, ABC Science Unit Was Abraham Lincoln really as mad as a hatter? Who poisoned Phar Lap? Can wallpaper really kill? Was Jack the Ripper an arsenic eater? Painting a broad canvas, from the early Egyptians to the arsenical tube wells in Bangladesh and the Sarin gas attacks in a Tokyo subway, The Killer Bean of Calabar explores the accidental and intentional tales of poisons and their use throughout history. Historically difficult substances to trace, poisons have been used by many for their own dastardly purposes, from the Great Poisoners such as Nero and Madame de Brinvilliers to the mass gassings of World War II. But the truly great poisoners are those who make selective use of poisons to save human life, not the few who use poison to take human life. Most of the medicines we take are themselves poisons - therapeutic only by virtue of being more deadly to our viruses than to us. Poisons are all around us - from the plants in our gardens and lead in our homes, to the bacteria and toxins in our bodies. With ripping yarns and unusual views of famous people, Macinnis explains the whys and wherefores of poisons and poisoning.

The Killer Bean of Calabar and Other Stories

The Killer Bean of Calabar and Other Stories PDF Author: Peter Macinnis
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1741154375
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
A triumphantly toxic tome. As a dedicated Macinnis fan, I relish this latest display of erudition, story-telling and fun. One of his very best.' Robyn Williams, Head, ABC Science Unit Was Abraham Lincoln really as mad as a hatter? Who poisoned Phar Lap? Can wallpaper really kill? Was Jack the Ripper an arsenic eater? Painting a broad canvas, from the early Egyptians to the arsenical tube wells in Bangladesh and the Sarin gas attacks in a Tokyo subway, The Killer Bean of Calabar explores the accidental and intentional tales of poisons and their use throughout history. Historically difficult substances to trace, poisons have been used by many for their own dastardly purposes, from the Great Poisoners such as Nero and Madame de Brinvilliers to the mass gassings of World War II. But the truly great poisoners are those who make selective use of poisons to save human life, not the few who use poison to take human life. Most of the medicines we take are themselves poisons - therapeutic only by virtue of being more deadly to our viruses than to us. Poisons are all around us - from the plants in our gardens and lead in our homes, to the bacteria and toxins in our bodies. With ripping yarns and unusual views of famous people, Macinnis explains the whys and wherefores of poisons and poisoning.

HowDunit - The Book of Poisons

HowDunit - The Book of Poisons PDF Author: Serita Stevens
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
Whether they're writing a short detective story, crime novel, or something else, writers at every level--and in every genre--can find the information they need to make their work more accurate and gripping in this reference that cuts through the medical jargon to address everything from a poison's symptoms and reactions to how it can be administered.

Poisons

Poisons PDF Author: David J. George
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1315354489
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
A unique book on recognition and investigation of criminal poisoning for investigators of all backgrounds and stages of their careers. Poisons: An Introduction for Forensic Investigators is a concise yet comprehensive overview of toxicants and unanticipated circumstances in which poisoning occurs. This book expands awareness of poisoning possibilities, heightens recognition of the toxic potential of many substances, and provides information to aid in focusing investigations. Poisons discusses life-threatening toxic substances and agents that modify behavior to achieve criminal goals. These include drugs that facilitate sexual assaults and robberies, and those found in medical child abuse and drug-product tampering. More than 230 case studies illustrate both unintentional and intentional poisoning and highlight situations where poisoning may not immediately be apparent. Information is included in pertinent criminal poisoning cases to illustrate the temperament of poisoners, their relationship to victims, their basis for poison selection, and their method of administration. Since Poisons is written by a single author, the discussions, format, educational level, and terminology remain consistent to aid crime scene investigators, homicide detectives, forensic scientists, death investigators, toxicologists, medical examiners, attorneys, and students. The book's more than 650 references are an asset to frame knowledge as well as a resource to return to again and again.

Deadly Doses

Deadly Doses PDF Author: Serita Stevens
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780898793710
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Part of the Howdunit Series, Deadly Doses is written by a professional in the field. It provides the inside details that writers need to weave a credible - and salable - story. Essential buys for any serious author...Will cut research time in half! - Mystery Scene

Poisons of the Past

Poisons of the Past PDF Author: Mary Allerton Kilbourne Matossian
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300051216
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
Did food poisoning cause the Black Plague, the Salem witch-hunts, and other significant events in human history? In this pathbreaking book, historian Mary Kilbourne Matossian argues that epidemics, sporadic outbursts of bizarre behavior, and low fertility and high death rates from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries may have been caused by food poisoning from microfungi in bread, the staple food in Europe and America during this period. "A bold book with a stimulating thesis. Matossian's claims for the role of food poisoning will need to be incorporated into any satisfactory account of past demographic trends."--John Walter, Nature "Matossian's work is innovative and original, modest and reasoned, and opens a door on our general human past that historians have not only ignored, but often did not even know existed."--William Richardson, Environmental History Review "This work demonstrates an impressive variety of cross-national sources. Its broad sweep also reveals the importance of the history of agriculture and food and strengthens the view that the shift from the consumption of mold-poisoned rye bread to the potato significantly contributed to an improvement in the mental and physical health of Europeans and Americans."--Naomi Rogers, Journal of American History "This work is a true botanical-historical tour de force."--Rudolf Schmid, Journal of the International Association of Plant Taxonomy "Intriguing and lucid."--William K. Beatty, Journal of the American Medical Association

A Taste for Poison

A Taste for Poison PDF Author: Neil Bradbury, Ph.D.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1250270766
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
“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.

Modern Poisons

Modern Poisons PDF Author: Alan Kolok
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1610913825
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Modern Poisons bridges the gap between traditional toxicology textbooks and journal articles on cutting-edge science. This accessible book explains basic principles in plain language while illuminating the most important issues in contemporary toxicology. Kolok begins by exploring age-old precepts such as the dose-response relationship and goes on to show exactly how chemicals enter the body and elicit their toxic effect. Kolok then traces toxicology's development, from studies of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in toiletries to the emerging science on prions and epigenetics. Whether studying toxicology itself, public health, or environmental science, readers will develop a core understanding of--and curiosity about--this fast-changing field.

Forging a Poison Prevention and Control System

Forging a Poison Prevention and Control System PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309091942
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
Poisoning is a far more serious health problem in the U.S. than has generally been recognized. It is estimated that more than 4 million poisoning episodes occur annually, with approximately 300,000 cases leading to hospitalization. The field of poison prevention provides some of the most celebrated examples of successful public health interventions, yet surprisingly the current poison control "system" is little more than a loose network of poison control centers, poorly integrated into the larger spheres of public health. To increase their effectiveness, efforts to reduce poisoning need to be linked to a national agenda for public health promotion and injury prevention. Forging a Poison Prevention and Control System recommends a future poison control system with a strong public health infrastructure, a national system of regional poison control centers, federal funding to support core poison control activities, and a national poison information system to track major poisoning epidemics and possible acts of bioterrorism. This framework provides a complete "system" that could offer the best poison prevention and patient care services to meet the needs of the nation in the 21st century.

Poisons and Poisonings

Poisons and Poisonings PDF Author: Tony Hargreaves
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
ISBN: 1839162988
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
It is London in the 1890s. A young woman has just taken a dose of a tonic she’s been given in the belief that it will improve her complexion. About ten minutes pass and she starts to experience breathing difficulties. Another minute and she collapses. Mercifully, death arrives but the poison has not yet finished, for the process of rigor mortis has set in with unusual speed. Her body is frozen into a rigid and contorted mass. This is the horror of strychnine, the nastiest of poisons. Despite knowing all the dreadfulness of this poison, Dr Thomas Neill Cream, the Lambeth Poisoner, used it to kill several prostitutes. And who knows how many other victims experienced the horror of strychnine, for it was by no means an uncommon poison. Today, there may well be more poisons available to the individual than ever before, but there are also advances in medical examination and forensic analysis that increase the likelihood of the poisoner being caught. This book will examine poisons, both natural and man-made menaces, and cases based on a particular poison as well as information about how forensic analysis is conducted. Appealing to scientists and non-scientists alike, this enthralling book will entertain and educate and bring the reader up to date with how important chemical analysis is in crime detection.

Artists' Pigments

Artists' Pigments PDF Author: Robert L. Feller
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Artists' materials
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description