The Inheritor's Powder - A Cautionary Tale of Poison, Betrayal and Greed (Paperback)

This is the story of how an infamous murder case led to the birth of modern toxicology. In the 19th century criminal poisoning with arsenic was frighteningly easy. For a few pence and with few questions asked, it was possible to buy enough poison to kill off an entire family, hence arsenic's popular name: the Inheritor's Powder. Yet if poisoning was easy, it was a notoriously difficult crime to prove. The popular press led to the nation becoming transfixed by the idea that danger lurked in every cup and on every plate. 'The fell spirit of the Borgias' was 'stalking through English society' wrote one commentator. Thus, armed with a coffee pot and some 'rat poison' one potential heir saw his opportunity. The case became a cause celebre and led an unknown chemist, James Marsh, to develop a failsafe test. This proved a turning point in the way such crimes were investigated - but years later there was a twist in the tale!

General

Imprint:	Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	June 2013
Authors:	Sandra Hempel
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 21mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	288
ISBN-13:	978-0-297-87035-7
Categories:	Books > Fiction > True stories > Crime Books > Medicine > General issues > History of medicine Books > Medicine > Other branches of medicine > Pharmacology > Medical toxicology
LSN:	0-297-87035-1
Barcode:	9780297870357

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!