The Elements of Murder: A History of Poison
by John Emsley
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Book Summary Information
Author: John EmsleyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-14
ISBN: 0192806009
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of The Elements of Murder: A History of Poison
Book Review: An environment of death
Summary: 4 Stars
Although pitched to aficionados of true crime, John Emsley's "Elements of Murder" is just as interesting for readers curious about the environment. Thus it is both more and less than its subtitle ("A History of Poisons") suggests.
Biological poisons are not covered. The main subjects are the metals lead, mercury and thallium and the semi-metal arsenic. Deliberate homicides committed with these take up only about a third of the book. The remainder consists of an historical, industrial, medical, chemical and environmental review, and these sections touch on such currently controversial topics as the allowable limit of mercury in drinking water, autism and crib death or SIDS ("cot death" is the term used in Britain and by Emsley).
The great period of murder with metallic compounds ran from around 1750 to 1900. There may have been many successful murders with arsenic and whatnot before then, but the state of knowledge was insufficient to detect the culprit. Starting around 1750, at least in Europe, the advance of analytical chemistry made it possible to prove the presence of metal compounds. For the next century and a half, poisoners dueled with police, but after 1900 it became less and less likely that a murderer could realize the great benefit of poison -- stealth -- and murders by arsenic etc. declined.
An exception is state-sponsored murder, where stealth is not too important as long as deniability can be maintained. Saddam Hussein was partial to thallium, and earlier this year thallium was suspected in the murder of a Russian dissident in England, although that turned out to be mistaken.
Although Emsley does not explicitly mention it, his book does make plain the curious harm/help aspect of the heavy metals. While criminologists and murderers spent centuries exploring the ability of these metals to kill, physicians spent the same centuries using them to heal -- or trying to. Mercury, in the form of Salvarsan, even earned a Nobel Prize as a medication. (Deadly metals are still to be found in non-Western remedies, another good reason to avoid Indian, Chinese and Mexican therapies; Emsley mentions this problem but does not give it the attention it is due.)
Emsley is a workmanlike and thorough writer, but the proofreading of this book was very poor.
Summary of The Elements of Murder: A History of Poison
Was Napoleon killed by the arsenic in his wallpaper? How did Rasputin survive cyanide poisoning? Which chemicals in our environment pose the biggest threat to our health today? In The Elements of Murder, John Emsley answers these questions and offers a fascinating account of five of the most toxic elements--arsenic, antimony, lead, mercury, and thallium--describing their lethal chemical properties and highlighting their use in some of the most famous murder cases in history.In this exciting book, we meet a who's who of heartless murderers. Mary Ann Cotton, who used arsenic to murder her mother, three husbands, a lover, eight of her own children, and seven step children; Michael Swango, who may have killed as many as 60 of his patients and several of his colleagues during the 20 years he practiced as a doctor and paramedic; and even Saddam Hussein, who used thallium sulfate to poison his political rivals. Emsley also shows which toxic elements may have been behind the madness of King George III, the delusions of Isaac Newton, and the strange death of King Charles II. In addition, the book examines many modern day environmental catastrophes, including accidental mass poisonings from lead and arsenic, and the Minamata Bay disaster in Japan.
Written by a leading science writer, famous for his knowledge of the elements and their curious and colorful histories, The Elements of Murder offers an enticing combination of true crime tales and curious science that adds up to an addictive read.
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