Poisoned Lives
English Poisoners and Their Victims
Katherine D. Watson(Author)
Hambledon Continuum (Publisher)
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-85285-469-0 (ISBN)
Description
From Mary Anne Cotton, the Victorian serial murderess, to Dr Crippen have attracted a celebrity unmatched by violent killers. Secretly administered, often during a family meal, arsenic (the most commonly used poison) led to a slow and agonising death, while strychnine (with its faint smell of almonds) could kill very quickly. Poisoned Lives is the first history of the crime to examine poisoning as a whole. Unwanted husbands, wives or lovers, illegitimate babies, children killed for the insurance money, relatives, rivals and employers were amongst the many victims. Difficult to detect before 1800, poison undoubtedly had its heyday in the nineteenth century. In response to many suspected cases, forensic tests were developed that made detection increasingly likely. The sale of poisons also became much more tightly controlled. Because of this, twentieth-century poisoning became a crime largely associated with medical professionals - including most recently, Dr Harold Shipman.
Reviews / Votes
"this book gives the best overall view of poisoning as a social phenomenon that has ever been written" The Mail on Sunday "A well written and meticulously researched account of desperate lives and desperate measures" PD James, The Sunday Telegraph "Poisoned Lives exposes fascinating details and is written with evident relish." The GuardianMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Illustrations
9 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-85285-469-0 (9781852854690)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
KATHERNE D. WATSON is a Researcher in the History Department, and Research Administrator in the Wchool of Arts and Humanities, at Oxford Brookes University
Content
Chapter 1: Victims, Chapter 2: Poisons and Poisoners, Chapter 3: Reasons of the Heart, Chapter 4: Suffer the Little Children, Chapter 5: The Root of All Evil, Chapter 6: Fear and Loathing, Chapter 7: Inquests Duly Held, Chapter 8: The Rule of Law, Chapter 9: Resolute for Killing