Cyanide Fast facts: – Also called prussic acid – Chemical compound of carbon triple bonded to nitrogen – Found naturally (fruit seeds and tobacco) or easily manufactured – Can be ingested (orally or topically) and inhaled – Exposure leads to death in minutes – Was the gas used in Nazi extermination camps – Poison of…
Research
A to Z Challenge: B (poisons & stories of their use)
Botulinum Fast facts: – The most toxic substance known – Produced by anaerobic bacteria – A form of food poisoning – Causes nerves to fail and paralysis – The botulinum toxin is abbreviated to Botox (yes, the one used in clinical treatment for wrinkles) – Used by Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo Clostridium botulinum is…
A to Z Challenge: A (poisons & stories of their use)
Arsenic Fast facts: – Naturally occurring heavy metal – ‘As’ on the periodic table (atomic no.33) – Tasteless and odourless – Untraceable in human body – Once the method of choice by poisoners – Marsh Test for detecting arsenic published in 1836 – Famous victims include Napoleon Bonaparte, George III of England and Simon Bolivar…
Poisons: an A to Z introduction
According to Merriam-Webster, a poison is a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism. As Paracelsus, a German-Swiss physician and alchemist who established the role chemistry plays in medicine, is supposed to have said 500 years ago, “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison: the dose alone…
A to Z Challenge: Theme reveal 2021
This year I’m participating in the A to Z blogging challenge (my fifth time), which starts on April 1st. I didn’t participate last year (surprisingly not because of covid, but because I was away for the month before, leaving no prep time). I wasn’t sure if I would join in again this year, but inspiration…