Le roi des poisons

King of Poisons: A History of Arsenic

JOHN PARASCANDOLA received his PhD in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later served as the chief of the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine and as the Public Health Service historian. He is currently working as a historical consultant and teaches courses in the history of modern biology and of poisons at the University of Maryland. 

• 
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Éditeur: Potomac Books Inc (Oct. 1 2012)
• Langue: English
• ISBN-10: 1597977039
• ISBN-13: 978-1597977036
• 
  

For centuries, arsenic's image as a poison has been inextricably tied to images of foul play. Now, medical historian John Parascandola takes readers through the history of this deadly element in King of Poisons.

From Dorothy Sayers to Gustave Flaubert, arsenic has long held a place in the literary realm as an instrument of murder and suicide. It was delightfully used as a source of comedy in the famous play Arsenic and Old Lace. But as Parascandola shows, arsenic has had a number of surprising real-world applications. For centuries, it was found in such common items as wallpaper, paint, cosmetics, and even candy, and its use in medical treatments was widespread. American ambassador Clare Booth Luce suffered from exposure to arsenical paint in her study, and Napoleon's death has long been speculated to be the result of accidental or intentional poisoning.But arsenic poisoning is still a public menace. In the neighborhood around American University in Washington, D.C., the army has undertaken a massive cleanup of shells and bottles containing chemical warfare agents such as arsenical lewisite after a number of workmen and residents became ill. Arsenic contamination of the water supply in Bangladesh and in West Bengal, India, is a major public health problem today. From murder to crime fiction, from industrial toxin to chemical warfare, arsenic remains a powerful force in modern life.