Buch, Englisch, 436 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm
The History of Poison
Buch, Englisch, 436 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm
ISBN: 978-0-19-280599-7
Verlag: Oxford University Press
Description:
- A vivid, anecdotal history of how we've used chemicals to harm and murder one another
- Explains the chemistry of poisons
- Topical, covering the history, chemistry, biochemistry, medical and forensic aspects of chemicals, and their impact on the world today
- Written by one of the top authorities in the field famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of chemicals
How can a chemical we need on a daily basis to keep us healthy be fatal at a different dose? Why should elements that are intrinsically dangerous be used in medicine? How did poisoners use the chemical properties of chemicals to cover their tracks?
Emsley gives detailed histories of five of the most toxic elements - arsenic, antimony, lead, mercury, and thallium, highlighting some of the most famous murders and how the murderers used the chemical properties of elements to hide what they were doing. He shows how the elements have been behind many modern day environmental catastrophes including accidental mass poisonings from lead and arsenic, and the Minamata Bay Disaster in Japan.
The array of fascinating stories shows how chemicals have impacted the lives of people ranging from the Greeks and Romans to Newton, Napoleon, Lucrezia Borgia, Mozart, Nelson Mandela, and Saddam Hussein. Emsley also touches on subjects close to home: cot deaths, laxatives, venereal disease, alleged cures for acne, hangovers, and insanity.
Contents
- 1 Deadly elements
- 2 The history and the chemistry
- 3 One man's medicine is another man's murder weapon
- 4 Arsenic and adultry
- 5 Off the wall poison
- 6 Insidious antimony
- 7 Requiem for a metal
- 8 Deadly lead
- 9 When the Empire struck lead
- 10 Mercury in the Tower
- 11 Mad cats and mad hatters
- 12 Young and deadly
- 13 Driving you hairless
- Glossary
Zielgruppe
This book offers a compelling read for people interested in chemistry, history, biochemistry, medicine, and forensic science.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Technische Wissenschaften Verfahrenstechnik | Chemieingenieurwesen | Biotechnologie Verfahrenstechnik, Chemieingenieurwesen
- Naturwissenschaften Physik Physik Allgemein Geschichte der Physik
- Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Toxikologie
- Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biochemie (nichtmedizinisch)
- Naturwissenschaften Chemie Chemie Allgemein Chemometrik, Chemoinformatik
- Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften
- Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Populärwissenschaftliche Werke
- Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Enzyklopädien, Nachschlagewerke, Wörterbücher
