The dark history of arsenic - Neil Bradbury
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No substance has been as constant an ally to insidious scheming as arsenic, the so-called “king of poisons.” In its chemically pure form, it isn’t much of a threat because our bodies don’t absorb it well; it’s when arsenic combines with other elements that things get dangerous. So, how did this substance become such a popular poison? Neil Bradbury digs into the element's sordid and lethal history.
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"Of all the varieties of death by poison, none is so important to the medical jurist as poisoning with arsenic."
These words were spoken by Doctor Robert Christison in 1829. Christison was a physician and toxicologist who was called in as an expert witness in murder trials where poison was used. Some think that arsenic poisoning is now an historical curiosity, and that murder by arsenic is now a thing of the past. But nothing could be further from the truth, as this bizarre story that took place in 1975 clearly illustrates. Watch out for a twist worthy of a daytime soap opera!
Given the widely known properties of arsenic as a poison, it is surprising that arsenic was used in medicine and cosmetics. Dr. Campbell's arsenic complexion wafers were guaranteed to bring a "beautiful complexion" to a woman's skin. As in modern day beauty, Dr. Campbell had a full cosmetic range, including medicated arsenical soap. It would certainly kill off any bacteria causing skin blemishes, leaving the face with a porcelain appearance.
In the interest of saving money, some arsenical soap manufacturers admitted that their soaps actually never contained arsenic! Ironically, it was these manufacturers that ran afoul of the "Sale of Food and Drug Act" precisely because they contained none of the poison. These companies were fined for mislabeling their products! This of course meant that many women were constantly exposing themselves to arsenic in the pursuit of beauty, and in 1880, one woman died after taking arsenic to "remove spots on her face." Read on here about arsenic as an ingredient in cosmetics.
As Dr. Neil Bradbury points out in the book A Taste for Poison: Eleven deadly molecules and the killers who used them, arsenic and other poisons are not intrinsically "good" or "bad"; it is the use to which they are put. Certainly arsenic was widely used as a poison, but it was also used by scientist Paul Ehrlich to develop Salvarsan, the world's first treatment for syphilis. Although this drug is now superseded by penicillin, it does show that even a deadly compound like arsenic can be used to save lives when used appropriately.
These words were spoken by Doctor Robert Christison in 1829. Christison was a physician and toxicologist who was called in as an expert witness in murder trials where poison was used. Some think that arsenic poisoning is now an historical curiosity, and that murder by arsenic is now a thing of the past. But nothing could be further from the truth, as this bizarre story that took place in 1975 clearly illustrates. Watch out for a twist worthy of a daytime soap opera!
Given the widely known properties of arsenic as a poison, it is surprising that arsenic was used in medicine and cosmetics. Dr. Campbell's arsenic complexion wafers were guaranteed to bring a "beautiful complexion" to a woman's skin. As in modern day beauty, Dr. Campbell had a full cosmetic range, including medicated arsenical soap. It would certainly kill off any bacteria causing skin blemishes, leaving the face with a porcelain appearance.
In the interest of saving money, some arsenical soap manufacturers admitted that their soaps actually never contained arsenic! Ironically, it was these manufacturers that ran afoul of the "Sale of Food and Drug Act" precisely because they contained none of the poison. These companies were fined for mislabeling their products! This of course meant that many women were constantly exposing themselves to arsenic in the pursuit of beauty, and in 1880, one woman died after taking arsenic to "remove spots on her face." Read on here about arsenic as an ingredient in cosmetics.
As Dr. Neil Bradbury points out in the book A Taste for Poison: Eleven deadly molecules and the killers who used them, arsenic and other poisons are not intrinsically "good" or "bad"; it is the use to which they are put. Certainly arsenic was widely used as a poison, but it was also used by scientist Paul Ehrlich to develop Salvarsan, the world's first treatment for syphilis. Although this drug is now superseded by penicillin, it does show that even a deadly compound like arsenic can be used to save lives when used appropriately.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Neil Bradbury
- Director Luísa Holanda
- Narrator Addison Anderson
- Storyboard Artist Luísa Holanda
- Animator Murilo Jardim
- Art Director Luísa Holanda
- Composer Gabriel Maia
- Sound Designer Gabriel Maia
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Produced by Sazia Afrin
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Editorial Producer Cella Wright
- Script Editor Nidhi Upadhyaya
