From: awatson@pecan.cns.udel.edu (angela watson)
Subject: Re: Finally... the promised corrections
Organization: University of Delaware
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 02:06:24 GMT

	Thanks to those who have sent me comments about the sample of
my corrections to the methods file that I posted.... please keep sending
them.

	One thing I didn't include in my sample is my personal favorite...
rhubarb (for poisoning... suicide or homicide).  Rhubarb leaves contain
Oxalic acid in high enough levels to kill an adult with just a few leaves
(which can easily be mixed into a salad)  =)  But if death isn't immediate,
some very nasty symptoms will make the next several hours a living
hell before you croak (up to 12 hours later).

	I'll be including rhubarb and other nifty entries in my completed
edition of the Methods file.  As I've been working on revising the file,
I've run into a bit of a glich... there is too much information that
I want to present to use the current format.  To get past this size
problem, I will be creating a seperate file to cover plants as a source
of death.  I'll try to include short descriptions, locations, growing
conditions, best useable forms, etc in _that_ file. Then I'll be able to
simply list plant names and refer the reader to the plants file for
more info.

	My other glich is my all-consumming need to footnote copiously
(it comes from being a serious history major).  I'll try and maintain
a seperate footnote file for those who want to go straight to the sources
I've used.  I _try_ not to use any info that isn't considered "common
knowledge"... I like everything in *my* corrections to the entries to
repeated in _at least_ 3-5 reputable sources.  By sticking to common knowledge,
I can avoid quoting (and plagerism) in *my* version of the file. 

	If you send me a note with comments, questions, and/or correction
_please_ include your source(s)!!! Even if it's just "I saw it in a
documentary several years ago" or something similar, I would like
to at least have a vauge idea in what form you received your information.
I like to keep track of my sources... esp. since they can sometimes
lead to a plethora of other sources.  (I don't keep track of who told me
what electronically unless they request it.)

	About the cyanide (plant) entry I posted... Yes hydrangeas have
cyanide in them. Yes, some people have died from smoking or ingesting the
leaves.  I didn't include them originally because I don't have _any_
information on dosage size and the availablity of the plant in various
parts of the US (I'm working on that though).  I trimmed my list of
plants to just the Cherry plants because at least one of them should be
decently available in all parts of the US (love those mail-order plant
catalogs!).

	I may post some requests for information from time to time...
if you know anything (or have a rough guess) let me know. Everything helps
me get this thing out sooner (and with less errors).

	First request...

	* As far as painting yourself to death... does anyone have any
definate studies, results, death reports about the use of this method?  I
know that at least one actor died from the application of large amounts
of body paints... but the paint contained a fair amount of lead and was
applied once a day for a couple of weeks before he got sick and died.
(so it was probably the lead that killed him... shucks!)

				Thanks!

-- 
Psycho Kitten   \ zaphodb@brahms.udel.edu    \ Check my .plan \ Just a grim    
Angela M. Watson \ awatson@pecan.cns.udel.edu \ for more info  \ reaper wannabe

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