The elements of murder
By: John Emsley.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 421
ISBN-13: 9780192805997
Subjects: Metals, Heavy -- history; Metals, Heavy -- poisoning; Arsenic Poisoning -- history; Poisons -- history; Poisoning; Poisons; Toxicology; Elementen (chemie); Toxicologie; Forensische wetenschappen; Moorden; Gerechtelijke chemie; Vergiftiging
Description: 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? Chemist Emsley offers an 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. Emsley also shows which toxic elements may have been behind the madness of King George III (almost certainly a case of acute lead poisoning), 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 poisoning from lead and arsenic, and the Minamata Bay disaster in Japan.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [397]-403) and index.
Table of contents: title: The poisonous elements of alchemy; title: Mercury; title: Mercury poisons us all; title: Mad cats and mad hatters: accidental mercury poisoning; title: The poet and the poison; title: Arsenic; title: Arsenic is everywhere; title: Insidious arsenic; title: Malevolent arsenic; title: Murder revisited: the guilt of Florence Maybrick; title: Antimony; title: Antimony the great cure-all; title: Requiem for antimony; title: Severin Klosowski alias George Chapman; title: Lead; title: The empire of lead; title: Lead and dead; title: Lead murders - Thallium; title: Driving you hairless; title: Graham Young; title: Other poisonous elements.