NOT for the faint-hearted, The Arsenic Century tells of countless unfortunate people in Victorian Britain who met an agonising end courtesy of the deadly chemical arsenic.
James C. Whorton investigates how arsenic trioxide – a tasteless white powder sold as rat poison – became a popular murder weapon, as well as commonly finding its way into people’s dinners after being mistaken for flour or sugar. Meanwhile, large sections of the population were slowly poisoned by arsenic used in the manufacture of clothes and toys.
From desperate mothers killing their children for the insurance money to aristocrats sickened by their luxury wallpaper, no one was beyond the poison’s reach.
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Gruesome tales are interspersed with details of the chemistry of arsenic, development of forensic tests, and the introduction of laws to protect the public. If you can stomach Whorton’s cheerful descriptions of explosive vomit, scrotal skin eruptions and tortured newborns, this book offers a unique insight into the darker side of Victorian life that foreshadows many of today’s environmental pollution issues.
The Arsenic Century: How Victorian Britain was poisoned at home, work and play
Oxford University Press