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The Arsenic Century: How Victorian Britain was Poisoned at Home, Work, and Play 1st Edition

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James C. Whorton (Author)
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James C. Whorton (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 11 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0199574704
ISBN-10: 0199574707
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (March 28, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0199574707
  • ISBN-13: 978-0199574704
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 1.6 x 5.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,026,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsHistoric Poisonings: Deliberate, Accidental, and Environmental
By Rob Hardy HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER on May 11, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Because we are complex bags of chemicals with countless processes that must run exactly right if we are to continue our heartbeats and breathing, there is a huge number of poisons that will do us in. Among the most famous is arsenic; without its fame, for instance, the title of the stage and movie classic _Arsenic and Old Lace_ would not have its sting. "The great attraction of arsenious acid to those contemplating murder," writes James C. Whorton in _The Arsenic Century: How Victorian Britain Was Poisoned at Home, Work, & Play_ (Oxford University Press), "is that it has no distinctive taste or smell and, since it resembles flour and sugar, can be added to foods and beverages without arousing suspicion." A tiny amount would do the trick, sometimes as little as a hundredth of an ounce. Arsenic was readily available at the corner drug store as rat poison, and it was cheap. The recipient would know something was wrong, because of agonizing gastric pains, but they were so similar to conditions like dysentery that no suspicion might be raised. Whorton's book surveys the extraordinary rise of deliberate poisoning by arsenic in Victorian Britain, and the methods of a new forensic science to curb it, but deliberate poisonings are only part of this grisly story. Arsenic was ubiquitous in Victorian households in wallpaper, cosmetics, confections, and even in medications, and plenty succumbed to it. Whorton is a professor of the history of medicine, and his necessarily often ghoulish book is crammed with facts on a long-running poison fad, as well as reminding us that many of the issues in dealing legislatively with the arsenic problem are still with us in poisons more modern.

It is not surprising that there were many stories of wives poisoning their husbands.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing how pervasive arsenic once was
By John A. Dodds on January 14, 2011
Format: Hardcover
This book takes a comprehensive look at how arsenic was EVERYWHERE in 19th-century Britain. It was used as a general-purpose poison, for rodents and people. It was used as pigments, particularly greens, that ended up in wallpapers and even food (think colored frosting and candy). It was available without question at shops throughout the land. England had a very dim view of regulation at the time (quite a contrast to now, where regulations are everywhere) so there was little effort to stop this, even after epic poisoning accidents (mixing up flour and arsenic, for instance). Eventually, laws were passed, but only after much suffering had occurred. And, of course, there are the epic tales of intentional poisoning; arsenic was the go-to method for hastening inheritances and otherwise offing inconvenient people. The book has lots of these epic tales, along the way explaining how, as chemistry improved, more and more poisoners got caught. An interesting historical read.
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5.0 out of 5 starsINFORMATIVE, HORRIFYING AND YET ENTERTAINING
By trish on March 8, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Before reading this book, I'd already vaguely heard about the Victorians and their walls flaking arsenic - but this book has been a revelation! The arsenical walls were the least of it - it seems that arsenic could be found in absolutely everything from paint and wall coverings to children's toys and beer. Dr Whorton describes the whole horrifying situation in an informative and yet entertaining way describing various cases of wives murdering husbands with arsenic and vice versa and at the same time he paints a very clear picture of what life was like in those days, especially for the poor (especially children of 9 or 10 years old) who were obliged to expose themselves to the dangers of arsenic poisoning (making artificial flowers, making wallpapers etc.) just in order to survive. And then as now the usual culprits were the big businessmen who got rich and refused to believe that their workers were risking their health and even their lives while Parliament refused to pass stringent laws to protect consumers and workers because they didn't want to offend the rich businessmen. Apart from the working conditions of the young children, I think what shocked me the most was the writer's description of the site of a smelting factory (in the USA) which wss cleared towards the end of the 20th century and is now considere prime real-estate; the only problem is that the people who live there won't be able to grow any trees on their land because once the tree roots get down to a certain depth, they will reach the arsonic layer and will die!!! I read this book on my Kindle but I enjoyed it so much that i'm going to buy several copies of the book for my friends because I know they'll enjoy it as much as I have.
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5.0 out of 5 starsWhy my father didn't like green Christmas cookies, perhaps
By Candace Drimmer on September 2, 2011
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
When my husband passes an article dated 2011 about arsenic use today, one realizes...nothing changes. Fascinating book about not just the murders, but the accidental poisonings and purposeful taking of arsenic--for beauty. Is that so different from putting the poison botox in one's skin?
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5.0 out of 5 starsFascinating-- all thumbs up!
By Alison on November 2, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This book initially appealed to me because I study gender and poison, but I believe this book will appeal to people with a broad range of interests; anyone interested in the development of forensic science, food regulation, labour safety, chemistry, legal proceedings and Victorian life in general will find this fascinating. By following this one product's journey from a common, easily obtainable powder used as a health aid to a regulated poison, the author touches on everything from fake flowers, fabric dyes, wallpapers, candies, murders, accidental poisonings, and sheep dip. As the thoughtful reader watches the struggle between competing interest groups develop, he or she cannot help but think of more recent parallels (tobacco, anyone?) and to wonder what substances we are arguing over today (flouride? transfat?) that in a hundred years or so will seem to our descendants to be so obviously harmful.

Very well researched and very well written. I highly recommend this.
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