Scan barcode
A review by jarrahpenguin
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
5.0
This book was totally up my alley. It combined creative non-fiction about science and history with the intrigue of true crime in a way that made it every way as suspenseful as a good mystery novel.
The Poisoner's Handbook is primarily about the work of two men: Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler, who revolutionized the way deaths were investigated in the United States and practically created the field of forensic medicine as we know it today. Coming into a system that was rife with corruption and populated by political appointees with little to no relevant skill, Norris and Gettler managed to carve out a space for scientific rigour and public health advocacy through the Prohibition years and beyond.
Blum dedicates each chapter to a particular type of poison, looking at the cases that confronted the New York Medical Examiner's office and how tests were developed to be able to isolate those poisons in corpses. The book takes you through cases of industrial poisoning such as befell the Radium Girls and leaded gasoline workers in New Jersey. It also goes through individual high-profile cases of poisoning by cyanide, arsenic, and even thallium. Finally, there's extensive discussion of the deaths caused by drinking poor-quality and industrial alcohol during the Prohibition era.
The Poisoner's Handbook is primarily about the work of two men: Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler, who revolutionized the way deaths were investigated in the United States and practically created the field of forensic medicine as we know it today. Coming into a system that was rife with corruption and populated by political appointees with little to no relevant skill, Norris and Gettler managed to carve out a space for scientific rigour and public health advocacy through the Prohibition years and beyond.
Blum dedicates each chapter to a particular type of poison, looking at the cases that confronted the New York Medical Examiner's office and how tests were developed to be able to isolate those poisons in corpses. The book takes you through cases of industrial poisoning such as befell the Radium Girls and leaded gasoline workers in New Jersey. It also goes through individual high-profile cases of poisoning by cyanide, arsenic, and even thallium. Finally, there's extensive discussion of the deaths caused by drinking poor-quality and industrial alcohol during the Prohibition era.