The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, The Poisoner's Handbook is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie" (The New York Observer) A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, The Poisoner's Handbook is a page-turning account of a forgotten era. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice.In 2014, PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE released a film based on The Poisoner's Handbook.. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, an

It’s also the first poison that forensic scientists really figured out how to detect in a corpse. Carbon Monoxide (really)--It’s so beautifully simple (just two atoms--one of carbon, one of oxygen) and so amazingly efficient a killer. 3. One woman woke up to find her hair shaved off--undoubtedly sold for the lucrative wig trade. Nicotine--This was the first plant poison that scientists learned to detect in a human body. Cyanide--One of the most famous of the homicidal poisons and--in my opinion--not a particularly good choice. Thallium--Agatha Christie put this poison at the heart of one of her creepiest mysteries, The Pale Horse, and I looked at it terms of a murdered family in real life. The ancient Greeks called it “the queen of poisons” and considered it so evil that they believed that it derived from the saliva of Cerberus, the three-headed dog guarding the gates of hell. Th

"Norris and Gettler's efforts to elevate the status of good science in the courtroom" according to anik. Wow! I picked this up as an impulse buy, thinking my sister (who loves all things Jazz Age) would want to borrow/steal it later. Now that I've read it, she can't have it: it's mine. Science! History! Prohibition! Murder! Accidental deaths due to the utter lack of regulation of drugs, household chemicals, and cosmetics!The book has an interestingly layered organizat. Sarah B said Morbid Fun. If you expect a dense scientific text or will be disappointed that some of the cases are accidental deaths and not murder, don't read. However, if like me you enjoy a bit of history, a bit of science, a lot of morbid investigation, and the triumphant underdog story of two luminary forensic examiners against the backdrop of Prohibition, the book is fascinating and m. Chemistry, history, medicine, and murder combined in a well-written package Slightly morbid topic I suppose, but the author takes care to add plenty of levity to a fascinating topic. Details of the personalities and lives of the men involved in developing tests to identify poisons used in an era of medical guesswork and scientific hand-waving adds some life to an interesting history of the science behind medical examiners' ability to deter