Poisoned Lives - English Poisoners and Their Victims

Informationen zum Autor Katherine D. Watson Klappentext From Mary Ann Cotton, the Victorian serial murderess, to Dr Crippen, poisoners have attracted a celebrity unmatched by violent killers. Secretly administered, often during a family meal, arsenic (the most commonly-used poison) led to a slow and agonising death, while strychnine (with its characteristic bitter taste) killed very quickly. Poisoned Lives is the first history of the crime to examine poisoning and its consequences as a whole. Unwanted husbands, wives or lovers, illegitimate babies, children killed for the insurance money, relatives, rivals and employers were amongst the many victims of these calculating killers. Difficult to detect before 1800, poison undoubtedly had its heyday in the nineteenth century. In response to many suspected cases, forensic tests were developed that made detection increasingly likely, and the sale of poisons became more tightly controlled. Because of this, twentieth-century poisoning has become a crime largely associated with medical professionals including, most recently, Dr Harold Shipman, the world's most prolific serial killer. Zusammenfassung Here is a valuable! and fascinating! piece of social history. Watson sheds new light on a macabre yet frequently misunderstood subject. Inhaltsverzeichnis Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Victims 2 Poisons and Poisoners 3 Reasons of the Heart 4 Suffer the Little Children 5 The Root of All Evil 6 Fear and Loathing 7 Inquests Duly Held 8 The Rule of Law 9 Resolute for Killing Notes Bibliography Index

Product details

• Authors: Katherine Watson, Katherine D Watson, Katherine D. Watson
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.06.2006
• EAN: 9781852855031
• ISBN: 978-1-85285-503-1
• No. of pages: 268
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies; England, Vereinigtes Königreich, Großbritannien, True Crime, TRUE CRIME / General, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain, History - General History, c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, C 1700 To C 1800