The Poisoner's Handbook
Table of Contents
Praise for Deborah Blum’s
The Poisoner’s Handbook
The Poisoner’s Handbook
“Blum’s combination of chemistry and crime fiction creates a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie.”
—The New York Observer
“Blum’s brilliant book is many things at once: a science lesson, peppered with historical anecdotes, tucked inside a compelling narrative that, in the end, is perfectly pitched and compulsively readable.”
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Reads like science fiction, complete with suspense, mystery, and foolhardy guys in lab coats tipping test tubes of mysterious chemicals into their own mouths.”
—NPR,
What We’re Reading
What We’re Reading
“One thinks of Erik Larson’s
Devil in the White City
. . . a book that gave splendiferously disgusting descriptions of horrible murders and did it so dextrously and intelligently that even readers who wouldn’t normally read a true crime book were happily sucked in. Deborah Blum’s
The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
is that kind of book.”
Devil in the White City
. . . a book that gave splendiferously disgusting descriptions of horrible murders and did it so dextrously and intelligently that even readers who wouldn’t normally read a true crime book were happily sucked in. Deborah Blum’s
The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
is that kind of book.”
—New Haven Advocate
“
The Poisoner’s Handbook
is an inventive history that, like arsenic mixed into blackberry pie, goes down with ease.”
The Poisoner’s Handbook
is an inventive history that, like arsenic mixed into blackberry pie, goes down with ease.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Blum’s book is heavy on science, especially chemistry, but it’s also an excellent look at the lackluster state of public health in the Jazz Age.”
—Chuck Leddy,
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
“In this bubbling beaker of a book, [Blum] mixes up a heady potion of forensic toxicology, history, and true crime. Her account of the ongoing battle between scientists and killers in Jazz Age New York is more startling than any
CSI: NY
script.”
CSI: NY
script.”
—The Dallas Morning News
“
The Poisoner’s Handbook
is that rare nonfiction book that has something for everyone, whether you are a true-crime aficionado, a political history buff, a science geek, or simply a fan of well-written narrative suspense.”
The Poisoner’s Handbook
is that rare nonfiction book that has something for everyone, whether you are a true-crime aficionado, a political history buff, a science geek, or simply a fan of well-written narrative suspense.”
—BookPage
“Her book is sure to appeal to mystery lovers, science nerds, and history buffs drawn to a captivating story of two men whose skill and dedication helped transform the criminal justice system.”
—Associated Press
“The pacing and rich characterization of a first-rate suspense novelist.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Caviar for true crime fans and science buffs alike.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Blum has cooked up a delicious, addictive brew: murder, forensic toxicology, New York City in the twenties, the biochemistry of poison. I loved this book. I knocked it back in one go and now I want more!”
—Mary Roach, author of
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex,
and
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex,
and
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
“
The Poisoner’s Handbook
opens one riveting murder case after another in this chronicle of Jazz Age chemical crimes where the real-life twists and turns are as startling as anything in fiction. Deborah Blum turns us all into forensic detectives by the end of this expertly written, dramatic page-turner that will transform the way you think about the power of science to threaten and save our lives.”
The Poisoner’s Handbook
opens one riveting murder case after another in this chronicle of Jazz Age chemical crimes where the real-life twists and turns are as startling as anything in fiction. Deborah Blum turns us all into forensic detectives by the end of this expertly written, dramatic page-turner that will transform the way you think about the power of science to threaten and save our lives.”
—Matthew Pearl, author of
The Last Dickens
and
The Dante Club
The Last Dickens
and
The Dante Club
“
The Poisoner’s Handbook
is a wonderfully compelling hybrid of history and science built around eccentric characters. One scene reads like Patricia Cornwell and the next like Oliver Sacks. From movie stars and aristocrats to homicidal grandmothers and entrepreneurial gangsters, from the government’s poisoning of alcohol during Prohibition to the dangers of radiation and automobile pollution, Blum follows an amazing array of poignant tragedies through the laboratory of these crusading public servants.”
The Poisoner’s Handbook
is a wonderfully compelling hybrid of history and science built around eccentric characters. One scene reads like Patricia Cornwell and the next like Oliver Sacks. From movie stars and aristocrats to homicidal grandmothers and entrepreneurial gangsters, from the government’s poisoning of alcohol during Prohibition to the dangers of radiation and automobile pollution, Blum follows an amazing array of poignant tragedies through the laboratory of these crusading public servants.”
—Michael Sims, author of
Apollo’s Fire
and
Adam’s Navel
Apollo’s Fire
and
Adam’s Navel
PENGUIN BOOKS
THE POISONER’S HANDBOOK
Pulitzer Prize winner Deborah Blum is a professor of science journalism at the University of Wisconsin. She worked as a newspaper science writer for twenty years, winning the Pulitzer in 1992 for her writing about primate research. She is the author of
Ghost Hunters
, coeditor of
A Field Guide for Science Writers,
and has written about scientific research for the
Los Angeles Times
,
The New York Times
,
The Wall Street Journal
,
Slate
,
Psychology Today
, and
Mother Jones
. She is the president-elect of the National Association of Science Writers and serves on advisory boards for both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences.
Ghost Hunters
, coeditor of
A Field Guide for Science Writers,
and has written about scientific research for the
Los Angeles Times
,
The New York Times
,
The Wall Street Journal
,
Slate
,
Psychology Today
, and
Mother Jones
. She is the president-elect of the National Association of Science Writers and serves on advisory boards for both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences.
PENGUIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. ● Penguin Group (Canada),
90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R oRL, England ●Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) ● Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria
3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ● Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community
Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi–110 017, India ●Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale,
North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) ●Penguin Books
(South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. ● Penguin Group (Canada),
90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R oRL, England ●Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) ● Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria
3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ● Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community
Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi–110 017, India ●Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale,
North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) ●Penguin Books
(South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R oRL, England
80 Strand, London WC2R oRL, England
First published in the United States of America by The Penguin Press,
a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 2010
Published in Penguin Books 2011
a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 2010
Published in Penguin Books 2011
All rights reserved
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
eISBN : 978-1-101-52489-3
1. Poisoning—New York (State)—History. 2. Forensic toxicology—New York (State)—History.
3. Forensic science—New York (State)—History. I. Title.
HV6555.U52N373 2010
614’. 1309747109041—dc22
2009026461
3. Forensic science—New York (State)—History. I. Title.
HV6555.U52N373 2010
614’. 1309747109041—dc22
2009026461
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
To the Haugen family—Dave, Helen, Peter (always),
Treaka—and in loving memory of Pamela.
PROLOGUE
THE
POISON
GAME
POISON
GAME
U
NTIL THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY few tools existed to detect a toxic substance in a corpse. Sometimes investigators deduced poison from the violent sickness that preceded death, or built a case by feeding animals a victim’s last meal, but more often than not poisoners walked free. As a result murder by poison flourished. It became so common in eliminating perceived difficulties, such as a wealthy parent who stayed alive too long, that the French nicknamed the metallic element arsenic
poudre de succession,
the inheritance powder.
NTIL THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY few tools existed to detect a toxic substance in a corpse. Sometimes investigators deduced poison from the violent sickness that preceded death, or built a case by feeding animals a victim’s last meal, but more often than not poisoners walked free. As a result murder by poison flourished. It became so common in eliminating perceived difficulties, such as a wealthy parent who stayed alive too long, that the French nicknamed the metallic element arsenic
poudre de succession,
the inheritance powder.
The chemical revolution of the 1800s changed the relative ease of such killings. Scientists learned to isolate and identify the basic elements and the chemical compounds that define life on Earth, gradually building a catalog,
The Periodic Table of the Elements
. In 1804, the elements palladium, cerium, iridium, osmium, and rhodium were discovered; potassium and sodium were isolated in 1807; barium, calcium, magnesium, and strontium in 1808; chlorine in 1810. Once researchers understood individual elements they went on to study them in combination, examining how elements bonded to create exotic compounds and familiar substances, such as the sodium-chlorine combination that creates basic table salt (NaCl).
The Periodic Table of the Elements
. In 1804, the elements palladium, cerium, iridium, osmium, and rhodium were discovered; potassium and sodium were isolated in 1807; barium, calcium, magnesium, and strontium in 1808; chlorine in 1810. Once researchers understood individual elements they went on to study them in combination, examining how elements bonded to create exotic compounds and familiar substances, such as the sodium-chlorine combination that creates basic table salt (NaCl).
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