POISON A SOCIAL HISTORY

FROM GREEK PHILOSOPHERS TO FORMER RUSSIAN SPIES, THE USE OF POISON AS A MEANS OF ENDING A LIFE - WHETHER THROUGH ASSASSINATION, MURDER, SUICIDE OR EXECUTION - HAS A HISTORY STRETCHING BACK OVER 2 000 YEARS. EVEN BEFORE SOCRATES ACCEPTED HIS FATE BY DRINKING HEMLOCK, COUNTLESS PEOPLE MUST HAVE DIED AS A RESULT OF INGESTING NATURALLY OCCURRING POISONS. AND YET POISONOUS MATERIALS OFTEN ALSO HAVE BENEFICIAL PROPERTIES HYDROGEN FLOURIDE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS HIGHLY TOXIC TO HUMANS, BUT IS ALSO A VITAL COMPONENT IN THE PRODUCTION OF HERBICIDES, PHARMACEUTICALS AND FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS. POISON A SOCIAL HISTORY EXPLORES THE NATURE OF TOXICITY AND REVEALS HOW POISON HAS PLAYED A CRUCIAL AND OFTEN UNHERALDED ROLE - FOR GOOD AND FOR BAD - IN HUMAN HISTORY. AS WELL AS EXAMINING A RANGE OF POISONOUS MATERIALS, IT ALSO CONTAINS CASE STUDIES OF FAMOUS, AND INFAMOUS, POISONINGS.