POISON

WHAT IS POISON?

• Today, poison is defined as a substance that causes injury, illness, or death.
• The poison can do this through chemical reaction or molecular activity.
• No other type of killing has made as big of an impact as poisoning.

10 POISONS USED TO KILL PEOPLE

• Arsenic-"The King of Poisons"
• Botulinum Toxin- a fatal condition if not treated.
• Cyanide- found in many substances.
• Mercury- it has 3 forms.
• Polonium- a radioactive poison.

6. Tetrodotoxin- it is found in 2 marine creatures.
7. Dimethylmercury- it kills it's victim slowly.
8. Belladonna- it was at first used for cosmetics.
9. Aconite- comes from monkshood.
10. Hemlock- highly toxic flowering plant.

ARSENICOSIS

• A condition caused by the ingestion, absorption, or inhalation of arsenic.
• Arsenic is a natural semi-metallic chemical.
• It has no flavor or odor and is found in ground water.
• It can cause major health issues if not treated.

POISONS IN FRANCE

• It was believed that the art of poison originated in Italy but emigrated to France
• Caterina de Medici brought poison to France in 1533
• During autopsy, it was hard to detect poison
• Therefore, many crimes went unpunished

POTIONS AND POISONS

• The trial of Marquise de Brinvilliers was for poisoning her father and 2 brothers
• At her execution, she made a prediction which soon came true
• She believed France would develop a "poisoning urge"
• This urge was the result of a growing interest in chemicals
• The knowledge of chemicals spread and with it, hysteria

MOLD POISONING AND POPULATION GROWTH

• The incidence in mold poisoning in England and France reduced
• This was due to climatic and dietary changes
• This stimulated fertility and reduced mortality

TOXICITY AND POISONS

• Poisons were used by ancient tribes and civilizations to hunt.
• Classic poisons were: arsenic, cyanite, and strychnine
• Toxins can be derived from both plants and animals

1821

• Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821.
• He was suspected of being poisoned with arsenic.

1951: HALLUCINATIONS AND TERROR IN SOUTHERN FRANCE

• A dispatch was headlined: "3 Die, Many Stricken by Madness From Poison in Bread in France"
• 3 people died along with 90 others who were poisoned
• Many had the experience of a hallucination

BELLE GUNNESS, A POISONER

• A widow who lived on a farm looking for a husband.
• Soon after she disappeared, police found more than 40 bodies.
• These also included her children and step children.
• One conspirator said that her favorite method of murder was chloroform in whiskey.
• This was followed by a strychnine chaser.

"A poison in a small dose is medicine, and a medicine in a large dose is a poison."
--- Alfred Swaine Taylor,
19th-Century toxicologist